Indulgence
by Synthetic-Skywalker
Summary: A mission to Tatooine sparked depth in a bond that was already close. As time goes on, they learn each other's true feelings. (Slash. Rated for themes and profanity.)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Just another warning that this is an Obi-Wan/Anakin story. There will be sex, swearing, and possibly dark themes included.  
-x-x-x-x-  
POV: Anakin Skywalker**

All of my dread, all of my anger, all of my hate burned with the most heated ember known to mankind as my boots sank into the light sand and a breeze, laced with more sand, blew past my face, stinging my eyes. It was a feeling I knew all too well, but that didn't mean I enjoyed it. Of all the people who could've gone on this mission, why did it have to be me? I'd protested before the Council, only to receive a verbal lashing from Master Windu, which silenced me to grit my teeth angrily.

Everything in me wanted to scream so loud that I burst my own eardrums, but I had to keep calm, at least for now. I could survive the waking nightmare of this planet I'd once called my home. I could survive the burning sensation of the twin suns, of the sand getting in my eyes, lashing at my face. I'd manage. After all, they expected me not to be able to remain composed for the duration. I, as always, was determined to prove them wrong, so I vowed to hold my tongue. That didn't mean I couldn't internally curse at the fact that I hated this planet.

I hate Tatooine. I hate it with all of my heart and soul.

"Well, that was a pleasant trip. Don't you agree?" I grimaced at the older man as he stepped off of the ramp, standing on equal footing with me, though he was slightly shorter. "I know this isn't how you wanted to spend the next few days, Anakin, but I will be handling the negotiations portion of the mission. You're here-"

"To translate. I know. It was in the briefing the Council gave us before we left Coruscant, Master." He could sense my anger, my hatred. He wanted to put an end to it, but I knew he wouldn't act on it. He was too afraid to. He knew what had transpired here less than three years ago. He knew of the revenge I'd taken on the Tusken camp for what they'd done to my mother and he knew that my mother was killed.

I stepped forward, only to be drawn back by his surprisingly strong hand. He never tried to hold me back with this amount of strength unless it was urgent, so I gave in and halted under his grip. "Anakin, listen. I know how you're feeling. I can't say I understand it, but I can feel it." Feel it, sure. He could never know how I truly felt though. The bit of anger and hatred he saw flash through my eyes was nothing in comparison to what was boiling within me, what I kept locked away from him with my barriers. I only let out as much as I absolutely needed to, and what I absolutely needed to release was the bare minimum.

I nodded curtly, wanting him to let go, only to be pulled back again. "Master-"

"Stop resisting, Anakin. I know you're hurting. I know you too well by now." This much was true. He'd seen everything there was to me because I trusted him more than anything. He'd asked about Padme repeatedly and I'd given him the same, honest answer as many times as he asked, yet he still didn't believe a word that slipped out of my mouth. "This, albeit an assignment, is a retreat, Anakin. This is a way of getting closure for the past. You need closure. You need to let go of all this anger, all this hate. It's unhealthy and very un-Jedi-like."

Typical Obi-Wan. If he didn't draw comparisons between me and the Jedi, it just wouldn't be a normal day. Everyone knew I wasn't one to abide by the many rules of the Council. I felt because I wanted to feel and I felt whatever I wanted. I formed attachments, knowing full well that it was forbidden. Perhaps it was just that that drove me to break nearly every rule that had been recited to me time and time again while I trained, while I fought, while I did everything I was told to by the Jedi. I did things in a very unorthodox manner, but I did it my way to get the job done and they never seemed appreciative of that.

"Can we just get this over with?" I ground out. I didn't want to be here any longer than I needed to. It wasn't an insult to him. I didn't mind his company. In fact, his company was welcomed with open arms. I just wished we hadn't been forced to spend time together on this wasteland.

I haven't had the privilege of seeing my former Master for several weeks now and it pained me, though I didn't know why. Things between Padme and I had ended abruptly and it hurt us both, but we'd agreed that it had to end. We mutually agreed that so much time apart did nothing helpful for either of us and that our duties had to come first. That in itself was a first for me. I never wanted to put my duties first. Perhaps it was because I'd spent so much time with her that I'd learned to admit that I needed to focus on them rather than focus on my emotions and feelings.

Nowadays, I barely felt anything. I resented the Council for their evident distrust in me. They'd kept me on lockdown, though they didn't call it that, for nearly a month because of my actions on Mygeeto. What I thought had been helpful had, in hindsight, been very detrimental. By advancing my forces, I'd ended up slaughtering nearly a quarter of the population. My instigation of the droid army had caused a bridge and several buildings to collapse, thus making the loss of lives, ground, and the battle my fault. I had been ordered by Master Mundi himself to stand my ground and wait for reinforcements, but I felt like we'd lose our advantage by waiting. I _should _have waited.

I blinked and the thoughts I'd been drowning in seemed to fade as my eyes locked with Obi-Wan's. I wasn't sure if he'd spoken, but he was looking at me so patiently, a hint of sadness tainting his patience. I apologized, forcing my eyes to remove themselves from his all too patient ones. "Anakin, I'm sorry."

That's all he could say and it was enough. His apologies were always heartfelt and sincere. That, in turn, reassured me that he really meant it. There were times when he'd accuse me of not meaning it when I told him I was sorry, but I'd tried to let him see that I was just as sincere as he could be. "Why am I here? Why not Senator Amidala or someone else? Why me?"

I sensed something odd, but it vanished in a flash, almost as if it knew I felt it and knew that I would pursue it one way or another. "Anakin, I-I..." he trailed off, his nervousness breaking through his own barriers and rolling off of him in waves. "I requested that you join me." I cocked an eyebrow and my lips curved into a smirk at the light rosy coloring of his cheeks. I couldn't explain it, but something in me was hungering for a source I just couldn't determine yet. He babbled on and on about how he didn't want the company of anyone else. He said he missed me. He actually said that.

"I missed you too," I admitted. I hadn't wanted to say it, but I felt like it. I had missed him. Something flashed across his eyes and, that too, I could not explain.

Without further ado, he led us into the town and away from the port. My fingers flexed oddly. It wasn't a flex out of anger, out of anything like that. It was as if they were twitching. It felt like my fingers wanted to take control for once. I forced my thoughts away from my human digits and looked at my Master. His auburn hair was tainted by the sand that had drifted into it. He could have pulled his hood up, but he chose not to. He barely wanted to wear the robe as it was, but he concealed his lightsaber within it, so I suppose it was a necessity.

I had a robe on myself and I walked behind him, watching as he glanced over his shoulder occasionally to make sure I was still right where I should be. That hunger came and went with his fleeting glances and it concerned me. I'd never felt ... No. I had felt like this before, but it had been years since I'd felt this in his presence. We stopped abruptly and I peered at him, a question in my silence. "Anakin, you must listen very closely to everything that's said." He acted as though I were a child who needed further instruction on something that was obviously very important. It always pissed me off when he did that to me. "He's willing to bargain with us in exchange for information on the whereabouts of the Separatist leaders the planet is harboring. Every detail is crucial and pertinent to our mission."

I gave him a very blunt, "I know," and received a startled glance moments prior to him leading us into a small hut. This hut was almost identical to the one I'd lived in as a child. The only difference was that this man was evidently very wealthy. His home practically glistened as the door opened to reveal its golden interior.

A Toydarian similar to Watto glided into the room, startled by our sudden appearance. "Ah'chu apenkee?" he cried out, his hand reaching for a blaster. I glanced at Obi-Wan briefly, receiving the nod that allowed me to proceed.

I held my hand out, silently asking him to stop his hand from advancing further. I introduced myself with, "My pee kasa Anakin Skywalker. Dolpee kikyuna." I motioned towards Obi-Wan and announced him simply with, "Obi-Wan Kenobi."

He nodded and immediately realized that we were not a threat to him. I told him that we were friends. We weren't exactly friends, but I suppose we could have a friendly transaction. Obi-Wan wouldn't have it any other way. Damned negotiator. "Uba sanuba charra mon." Great, now we'd pissed him off. I shot a glare in Obi-Wan's direction, wondering who the hell had told him there would only be one of us. Obi-Wan gave me an innocent, confused look and I sighed. "Bargon wan chee kospah."

"Anakin, what's he saying?" Obi-Wan whispered, leaning closer to me as my expression showed dismay.

"He expected you to come alone." He looked up at me, clearly not knowing that that had been one of the agreements the Council made. Then again, that didn't make sense, unless they had intended on my coming here alone. "And now he said there's no deal."

"Anakin, plead with him. We need his information."

I sighed and turned back to the Toydarian."Bargon u noa-a-uyat. Ting cooing koo soo ah." I pulled my credits out and shuffled them around in my hands to show him that I meant what I was saying. The price we'd pay to get what he had to offer was the least of our worries. We just needed him to be willing to work with us.

He grunted and shook his head. "Make-cheesay." He looked at me pointedly, clearly angered by the fact that I kept pushing to make this deal happen. "Echuta." I was taken aback by his language, though I should've known better. We were dealing with scum, therefore, we received his scum mouth as well.

"Well, we royally fucked up," I said bluntly, casting a glare in Obi-Wan's direction.

"Why? What's he saying?"

"Well," I said, sighing, "He's not going to make an exception for us since we've gone against what was supposedly arranged and he told me to go fuck myself too."

"Anakin, watch your mouth." I rolled my eyes at him and he continued, his stare hardening as it shifted from me to the Toydarian. "Can you translate for me?" I nodded, my annoyance as clear as day. "We're willing to make a bargain much greater than was promised if you work with us." He looked at me and I repeated everything he'd said in Huttese. "I-"

"Maya Jeedai," he hissed. "Dopa-maskey."

I shoved aside the cloak that hid my lightsaber and pulled the metallic hilt into my mechanical hand, igniting it and holding it directly to the Toydarian's pudgy neckline. Obi-Wan gripped my right shoulder in one firm hand and, as odd as it was, my hip in the other. I glanced over my shoulder to see him staring at me, concerned. "Tell him we'll come back tomorrow. You look worn out, Anakin." He kept my eyes locked with his own until I obliged, deactivated my azure blade, straightened up, and told him we'd return tomorrow morning. My former Master's hand lingered on my hip until I turned away from him and began to storm out of the hut. I could sense him following me and I eventually did stop to ask him where we were going, only to realize how stupid I sounded as he answered with, "Our ship, Anakin."


	2. Chapter 2

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I felt Obi-Wan's gaze locked on me for the last half hour. It was beginning to annoy the hell out of me. He must've known that or heard my thoughts because as soon as the thought crossed my mind, I felt him tear his eyes away from me. This mission was very unsettling for multiple reasons. One, we had to venture back to Tatooine and I'm pretty sure everyone knew how much I loathed my former home. Two, Windu had seemed all too smug about sending us off to this hellhole. Three, Obi-Wan had personally-...Well, I suppose that wasn't too bad. Obi-Wan had personally requested me to join him. I wasn't sure if I should be gratified or resentful.

"You've certainly been quiet long enough, Anakin." I risked a glance in his direction, only to receive a very...intoxicating, yet hurtful glare. "When are you going to tell me what's wrong?" What's wrong? Did he even have to ask that when it was very obvious to everyone who knew me? He interpreted my not wanting to talk to him by remaining silent. To be honest, I wasn't sure what to tell him. The planet wasn't all that was bothering me. I wondered what the hell had been up with him earlier. Never, and I mean never, has he ever touched me so tenderly like that before. I could still feel the heat of his firm hand on my hip. He grunted and I refocused on him, raising my eyebrow in question. "Don't you trust me enough to share your thoughts with me, Anakin?"

Of course I trusted him! He knew that. I stood up from my cot in our shared cabin in the ship and his eyes followed me, mesmerizing me. My mouth opened to speak, but nothing came out of it. Those damn eyes always had a way of shutting me up and I hated it. I pulled my eyes away long enough to answer. "I need some air."

I pushed myself quickly, trying to escape before he had the chance to get inside my head and force me to open myself up to him. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough. He blocked my exit and crossed his arms over his chest. "Anakin," he whispered, his hard glare directed at me as he looked up. I heaved a sigh and backed up, my tense body beginning to relax. When he realized that, his glare softened into the tranquil face I always saw. "Talk to me, my friend."

I didn't want to. I honestly didn't because I was so internally confused right now. I didn't know how to explain anything and I certainly didn't want to make a big deal out of something if it actually turned out to be nothing after all was said and done. "Fine." He felt satisfied, but only partially. He wanted more, but I wasn't willing right now. Not this moment anyway. He lightly touched my shoulder and motioned for me to sit down on his cot, which I willingly did.

It shouldn't have felt awkward. I certainly never felt awkward when I'd climbed into bed beside him after horrific nightmares as his Padawan. I'd done that for so many years that he'd actually trained himself to lie on one side of the bed, always leaving room for me to join him. This man and I shared a bond that I couldn't bring myself to share with anyone else. I assumed he hadn't been able to do so either, seeing as though he's still around me as much as he can be. I'm not sure what made the moment awkward in this situation. Perhaps it was just the fact that, as I sat, he sat much closer than I anticipated. "Talk to me," he repeated once more, his voice quiet and undemanding.

I heaved yet another sigh and looked at the floor. I played with my mechno's glove for a short time, not entirely knowing where to start. I wouldn't bring up anything between us because I was sure there wouldn't be anything between us. We were friends, best friends, brothers. I chose to start with the simplest, most obvious, topic I could possibly think of. "You know how I feel about this planet," I whispered, my eyes cast themselves in his direction unwillingly. It was almost as if I wanted to look him in the eyes and see his pity, but I didn't want his pity at the same time.

I found it odd how he didn't show me any pity. If anything, he mirrored me. He'd always said that he felt what I did. He said he hurt as much as I did at times, though I hadn't believed that. "I don't know how it feels," he began, clearly unsure of where he wanted to take this conversation. His eyes seemed to be searching for something in my own and I wasn't sure what to give him. "I don't know how it feels to lose my mother, to know that I'll never have the chance to speak with her again or even see her for that matter." He lowered his eyes from mine and my lips parted slightly. I was shocked that he looked away from me. I felt so much pain inside of him right now and I wanted to take it away. My serene Master had never felt this much pain before. He was pained when I told him about the things I'd done, about the revenge I'd taken on those damned animals for what they'd done to my mother. "I'm not sure how to help you, Anakin. I wish I could tell you something, something to ease your mind, something to take away the pain."

I could feel his sincerity, not that I didn't believe him. His eyes met mine again and they were locked. Something in me wanted to change that frown that seemed to be permanently embedded into his features. His eyes grew dull; his brows furrowed in such a way that made it appear as though he'd never looked any different. My heart ached in ways that I couldn't explain. "Master, I-"

He interrupted me before I could even get to the point. It irritated me at first, but he spoke and it hit me to my very core. "Don't tell me," he whispered. I gave him the best look I could muster that asked him 'what the hell?' I felt something soft brush against my flesh hand and I glanced down, seeing his fingers over my own. "Let me feel it, Anakin. Let me feel your pain, your hurt, your anger. I want to know how it truly feels."

"I can't do that," I said quickly. If I let my barriers down, who knew if I'd be able to restore them after he got his fill? "I can't, Master." I couldn't do that to him. If I let my walls down, he'd see how weak, how vulnerable, I truly was. I mean, if he hadn't figured that out by now, then I didn't know what to do. He knew I was emotional, but he didn't know _how _emotional I could be.

His fingers entwined with my own and I couldn't bring myself to break away from him when he was trying to understand me for the first time in almost a year, a year since I told him of my mother's death. "Let me feel what you do, Anakin. I'll help you." The last statement seemed to hurt him in some way that I couldn't fathom and I gave him a questionable look. "I'll...do the best I can for you, Anakin, as I have no experience on this."

I paused, knowing full well what I wanted to ask, but not entirely being sure if I _should _ask it. He knew I was holding back and his eyes silently begged me to release whatever it was that I was keeping inside of me. "You told me how you looked up to Master Qui-Gon while you were his apprentice," I began, watching his eyes, searching for some indication that he wanted this part of the conversation to cease immediately. When I received nothing of the sort, I continued. "You lost him, Master. You told me he was like a father to you, and you lost him to the hands of a monster." The pain he'd felt after returning from his duel with Maul was the equivalent to how I'd felt after watching my mother die in my arms, weak and feeble in her final moments. He'd held Qui-Gon as he took his last breaths, and I felt that Obi-Wan resented me from the moment that happened up until now. I don't know why I thought that, but I did.

"Yes," he said slowly, nodding thoughtfully. "He was like a father to me. Anakin, you felt my pain when I returned. Is...that how you felt?" I knew he was asking because he knew I needed to either confirm or deny it, but I also knew that he wanted to break my barrier. He knew that I lost control of my mental barriers when I got emotional and broaching the subject of my mother made it hard to keep the walls firmly around myself. I couldn't bring myself to speak, knowing that my voice would catch if I tried, so I answered with a slight nod, looking away from him. "Let me feel what you do," he said again, his voice firm but gentle. It wasn't a request. It seemed like a mere suggestion to me, a suggestion that I didn't want to comply with.

I felt tears pricking at my eyes and I didn't want to let him see me like this. I tried to will myself to move, but it felt as though my feet, my legs, were held down by some massive weight. My heart felt as though the same weight was dragging it down. His fingers curled into mine and I couldn't contain it anymore. "I blame myself," I ground out, the tears finally clouding my vision. I felt my cheeks moisten as they fell. "I was too damn weak, too fucking late." I felt my hold on the barrier slipping and I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep it up. I wasn't sure I _wanted _to keep it up anymore. This was Obi-Wan. _Just Obi-Wan._

"Anakin," he whispered, a plea. I wanted to move away from him, to run as far away as I possibly could in the least amount of time possible, but I knew he would always catch up to me. He always did. The barrier was slowly cracking and I knew he could feel it. He waited patiently as it deteriorated.

As soon as the dam burst, our fingers that had been woven together moments ago were unwoven and his arms circled around me, holding me to him. "I want my mom," I said. I knew I was being so pathetic, but I just couldn't control it right this moment. The way he'd spoken to me, the way he looked at me, the way he could just affect me had torn down everything I'd tried to keep intact.

His calloused fingers slid through my hair gently, soothingly. He knew just what to do to relax me, to ease me out of my tension. He shushed me gently and continued to stroke my hair. "I'm here, Anakin." Of course I knew he was here. I could feel his heart pounding against my damned head for Force's sake. I don't know what happened, but I'd gripped the front of his vest with a tremendous amount of force, my fingers clutching into the fabric for dear life. He must've known that this was going to happen because he slipped his hand on top of mine, rubbing over my knuckles very slowly, yet another relaxing touch from my companion.

My lips trembled and I felt like I needed to regain at least some shred of my dignity. "Why are you doing this?" I said, my voice shaking. I knew why, but I wanted to hear it from him. I wanted to listen to his voice.

"I love you, Anakin. I know you're hurting. I know." I felt his chin rest on the crown of my head and I closed my eyes, not knowing what else to do. The way he said those four words... _I love you, Anakin._ I had never heard him say that to me. The way he'd dragged it out meant so much more, but I knew it was something I shouldn't expand upon. "I want to be your support. I want to be the one you trust with every thought, dark or otherwise."

For the next several hours, he held me against him and we spoke softly. I, on occasion, cursed and dug my nails into his back, followed up by a violent rant, but he showed me so much love, so much care. I couldn't believe how easy it was for him to just wash away every hateful thought, every hateful feeling, that lurked within me. Right now, the only thing I could truly focus on was the fact that his heart was right against my ear. His heartbeat eased me considerably and I think he knew that.

The suns began to set and we breathed simultaneously, a rhythm found just from being so close to one another for long enough. I felt that it was finally time for us to rest, or for him to get something to eat. Something. I knew he didn't want to hold me all night long. We were both grown men. I was a twenty-two year old man and he was thirty-seven. Had anyone else been here to witness this, they probably would have thought we looked utterly pathetic. I uneasily cast a glance up in his direction only to be met with a sad, loving gaze. He brushed away the trail of tears that had already dried, but were once again being dampened. "Thank you," was the only thing I could bring myself to say right now. I tried with all my might to show him that I meant this. I was truly thankful for the way he had acted these last few hours.

Never would I have asked him to let me flood him with every last emotion I'd pent up inside myself for the last year. Never would I have asked him to hold me as I trembled against him, as I cried against him. This man, my former Master, my best friend, truly cared, truly loved me. The way he held me was like how I'd held Padme once upon a time. I...wasn't sure what to do about this new found love we expressed openly. I wasn't even sure how to act on the way I felt about him suddenly. He looked at me with such a depth of love that I nearly collapsed under his gaze. I couldn't tell if I was giving him that same look. I wasn't sure if I was interpreting him the right way, if I was interpreting myself the right way. I chose to assume that this was a one time thing, that this was him just being my friend, my best friend. I assumed that nothing else would come out of this because nothing else _could _come out of this.

This was Obi-Wan we were talking about. Never in his life would he ever dream of breaking any of the several rules instilled into him as he lived his life by the Code of the Jedi Order. The rules they'd engrained into him from a young age were like the air he breathed on a daily basis. "You're welcome," he whispered, that sad smile curving his lips as it had done the numerous times I'd run to him as his young Padawan after nightmares.

I wanted to move, to make him let go of me, but I couldn't. Part of me wanted to stay like this. He must have sensed that because he shifted us on the cot. He laid on his back and held me on his chest. I was actually surprised that he was allowing this. I subconsciously slid one hand up to rest on his stomach and I nuzzled my face into his chest, making sure I could hear his heart. I curled into him and he seemed to embrace it. One hand slid up towards my hair and gently stroked while the other rested on the one I'd placed on his stomach.

I closed my eyes, deciding to just give in for tonight. What would the point be in resisting him right now? He'd done so much for me. He'd taken in every last ounce of hatred, anger, and sadness and bore it like the strong man he was.

Together lay the Hero with No Fear and The Negotiator. Together lay Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, I corrected myself. Here, right now, we were only Anakin and Obi-Wan.


	3. Chapter 3

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

The morning came around all too quickly for my liking. I hated seeing and feeling Anakin's torment, but at least I'd managed to help him. I couldn't believe the way he'd lost control last night. My former protégé was always so careful to not let anyone see the part of him that wasn't "_heroic._" In my own opinion, he was all the more a hero for having emotions such as the ones he'd released upon me last night. I couldn't believe how intense he truly was. I had never imagined how brutal his thoughts and feelings were. I never realized how hard he was on himself, how harshly he tortured himself.

I glanced down at the sleeping man in my arms and saw a peace that I'd always wished would remain once he was awakened. His eyelids fluttered occasionally with whatever dream was taking place in his mind and his lips were parted, letting out small snores and quiet breaths. My fingers were still tangled into his hair and I realized that this was something entirely new for the both of us. Never had either of us acted like this towards one another. Yes, I'd allowed him into my bed while he was my apprentice, but this...this was something different.

I trailed my hand down from his hair to his back, resting on the small of it there. He seemed to move slightly under my touch. I wasn't sure if I'd woke him up. I hoped I hadn't. He moaned slightly and exhaled heavily, shifting his head on my chest, his hand sliding over my stomach to hang beside my right hip. I watched him sleep and I wondered what he was dreaming about. Whatever it was, it was clearly much better than most of his recent torments. The poor man was afraid to fall asleep some nights. I knew he'd been up for almost two days, which is why I decided the negotiations needed to be put off for the moment.

Anakin could only bear so much and I knew then that his patience was wearing thin. Even on the way here, I knew he had no patience. His Padawan told me to be careful when I'd gone to her in search of her Master. Even she knew. That worried me. The Padawan shouldn't be the one worrying about the Master. It was normally the other way around. Even though Anakin had been knighted nearly two years ago, I still worried for him. We were on the brink of entering a third year of this damnable war and I couldn't help but worry about him. Especially when he got like this. He holed himself up so tightly that I almost had to take a cannon and burst the walls in on him to let him release.

He inhaled sharply and tensed up beneath my touch and I refocused on him. "No," he whispered, his voice angry. I looked him over quickly and realized that he wasn't awake. "Please, no." Damn it. Why couldn't he just have an entirely restful sleep? Why was he damned to have nightmares every time he slept? He started panting and I wanted to wake him, but I felt like that would only make things worse for him. I don't know why. "Please, please..." he begged, tears starting to fall onto the fabric of my Jedi tunic. That's when I drew the line. Whatever was going on was hurting him.

"Anakin," I whispered, sitting up, holding him against me. "Anakin, wake up." I tried shaking him slightly and it seemed to work. Slowly, he roused, only to go into a complete panic until he realized it was only me, that it was still just the two of us.

"Obi-Wan," he breathed, his eyes and voice full of relief. I smiled at him, hoping he'd tell me what happened this time. He sat up straighter and rubbed the sleep and tears out of his eyes. I watched him patiently, knowing he'd indulge me when he was ready to. "What time is it?"

I sighed, knowing full well that he would _not _be sharing his nightmare with me. Not right this moment anyway. "It's past sunrise. The chrono says seven in the morning." He nodded, lifting himself off of my cot. I watched him and part of me wanted to pull him back to me, to coddle him, or perhaps I wanted to cuddle against him as we had moments earlier. He seemed to have some weight dragging him down as he moved and it perturbed me. "Are you okay?" I felt something shift inside of him until his barriers slammed back into place, locked as tight as they had always been.

He pushed on, giving me a curt nod in response, heading into the refresher. I got up myself and went to grab some packets of rations. I set them on the small table and waited for him, eating my own packet slowly. I heard the shower water begin several minutes ago. This shower was longer than most, which meant he had a lot on his mind. Something was eating away at him this morning and I wanted to know, but I didn't want to push him to tell me if he wasn't up for talking about it.

Another ten minutes roamed by and he finally emerged, a towel around his waist. Water droplets raced down his face, his shoulders, his arms... It was an almost sensual sight. He didn't pay any attention to me as he wandered over to his cot and pulled his pack out, pulling out his other set of Jedi attire as well as clean boxers. I couldn't tear my eyes away from him and I felt his tension ease into me until I snapped back to reality and saw him giving me an uneasy look. I shifted my gaze to my ration packet and nibbled away at it.

He dressed himself and toweled his hair a bit more before placing the towel back inside the refresher and joining me at the table. We ate in complete silence and I knew that his patience for silence would wear thin eventually, which meant he'd either snap or open up. "Thank you," he said so quietly that I almost thought he hadn't spoken. The only indication I received was his tender gaze, so I knew he had said those two simple words.

"For what?" I knew he was referring to last night, but he'd already thanked me prior to us going to sleep together. Perhaps that was what he was thanking me for now?

I saw a pale red coloring fade into his face and I couldn't help my curving smile. "I appreciate everything, _everything_, you did for me last night. I truly do. I owe you so much." He paused and I knew there was more, but he wasn't sure how to put it just yet or he didn't know if it was appropriate to say. I waited as patiently as ever, hope lingering in the furthest part of my mind, and he shook his head. "Thank you so much, Obi-Wan."

Something about him seemed...peculiar today. "You're welcome, Anakin." There was something in his eyes that just seemed off, and I wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing. He continued eating in silence and I waited patiently for him to finish. There were so many things I wanted to tell him. Last night hadn't just been my way of showing him I was here as his friend. I...I loved him. I meant that when I'd said it, but it didn't appear as though it came across the way I'd wanted it to. I was, in essence, testing his feelings, and I hadn't gotten the response I'd been hoping for.

Anakin has always been at the center of my life. I've loved him for quite some time now and I wasn't sure if I had much of a chance with him regardless. As a Padawan, he'd had girls clung to his arms anywhere we went. It didn't seem like there was a moment where he hadn't been accompanied by a young girl. His relationship with Padme also concluded that my former protégé had no interest in men. He clearly loved her and I wouldn't get in the way of that. It was against my better judgment to leave him be, but I loved his happiness. I fed off of it. If Padme made him happy, then I would keep to myself. I would pretend to be blind to his private life, even though it went against the Order. My feelings for him went against the Order as well and I didn't know how or if I should act upon them.

I felt a light touch on my hand and I snapped back to reality, meeting his worried eyes. "Master, are you okay?" His eyes held an intensity in them that I just couldn't describe. I saw so many emotions welled up in his azure orbs and I ended up utterly speechless as I absently stared into his eyes. "Master," he repeated. I could imagine he'd said it multiple times to try to get my attention, but I paid no mind to his voice, as much as I loved the depth of it. I heard him repeat, "Master," more than once and I subconsciously lifted myself from the seat, only to receive a startled gasp as I tangled my fingers in his hair. "Master?" This time it was a question, not a call for attention.

I felt his soft locks of hair and my fingers tingled as I touched each strand I could bind into my fingertips. Unfortunately, he pulled away, standing himself. Damn him for being taller. Damn him for not indulging me of his softness. Damn him in general. He looked utterly confused, partially hurt, and extremely unsure of whatever thought crossed his mind. "Let's continue our mission, shall we?" That was the only thing I could muster up at this moment. I sensed his tension and it washed into me. He felt awkward, like he was missing some key component to whatever was going on between us. _Nothing was going on between us_, I had to remind myself. I respected him, though I damned him at the same time. He would never be _mine._ He couldn't be.

He gave me a brief nod, still entranced in his thoughts. I vaguely noticed that he'd wandered towards my cot to grab our cloaks and he returned to me, handing mine off. We wandered back to the Toydarian's hut to find him with another customer. Anakin was impatient and bluntly muttered loud enough for the Toydarian to hear him, "Come on, you fucker," in Huttese. I'd tapped into his thoughts in that brief moment that his anger left a hole in his barrier to receive that translation. Needless to say, the Toydarian focused on us and Anakin began to rattle off demands in his former home's language.

After nearly an hour of debating through this language so foreign to me, we received the information we'd come for and Anakin, with a satisfied, pride-swelled grin, spun to face me. He gave me the basic translation of the information and off we went to find our target in the deepest, darkest portion of the Dune Sea, Anakin's _least _favorite place to be on Tatooine, especially since a sandstorm was due at some point this morning.

We ignored the thoughts of taking our ship out there because that would more than likely alert them of our presence. At least that's what Anakin thought. He thought that we'd have more time on foot before anyone knew we were in the vicinity. I wasn't sure if he was right or not, but I trusted him. I didn't mind the walk either. Just taking in his presence and his sensually built body was enough for me. I'd follow him anywhere, that much I knew. It didn't matter how right or how wrong the situation at hand might seem. I would always follow this man no matter where he went, no matter how much danger we could get into, no matter what. I love him with every last bit of my heart and soul, and I wished so deeply that I could tell him how I felt, but I knew it would be wrong.

The last thing he needed to worry about was my feelings for him. If it were destined to be unrequited love, I didn't honestly see the point in even speculating that he'd somehow instantly change his sexuality. Anakin doesn't work like that. He's the man he's always been, and that unfortunately meant he was straight and out of my reach.


	4. Chapter 4

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

The sandstorm swirled around us. Our eyes burned heavily, tears slipping from them. Even as we pulled our hoods up, it seemed like a feeble attempt to do absolutely nothing. Instead, we strode like we had all the way here. We made our way through the sharp pricking of the sand and found the hut that was holed into the ground as the Toydarian told me. Huh, I suppose he was somewhat reliable after all. "Here it is," I said, stating the obvious as Obi-Wan took his last few steps to close the distance between us.

"You don't say?" I cringed at the dripping sarcasm laced into his voice and tore my gaze from his sand-ridden self. Part of me wondered what I'd done wrong now. As far as I knew, I was doing everything we came here to do, which always pleased him. At least until today. I didn't understand what had happened earlier on the ship, but I...I had strangely enjoyed it. "Aren't you coming?"

I lifted my eyes from the sand on the ground and met his, coming back to the harsh reality. He was already descending into the hole, but he'd turned to make sure I would follow him. This man we were going after was surely dangerous and I definitely didn't want Obi-Wan to take him alone. "Yes, Master," I whispered, trudging over to him in large strides. I followed as he led us down the spiral stairway that ended up leading into a bunker.

"Fascinating," he said, truly and utterly fascinated, which was beyond me. There was nothing fascinating about this. This bunker had gone undetected for quite some time, which made this entire section a blind spot. "How do you think they were able to construct this below a tremendous amount of sand? How could they dig beneath it and not be suffocated by the sand overhead?"

I shrugged. "I don't think like the Separatists do, Master." He turned and the look he gave me sent shivers up my spine. He looked utterly disgusted and my stomach churned at the thought that perhaps he was disgusted with me. He began to make his way towards the bunker, only to be stopped by my gloved, mechanical fingers grasping his wrist. He turned, cocking an eyebrow in question. "What's going on between us?" I asked bluntly. There was no sense in beating around the bush if someone had already burned it from the inside out. Something had burned _us _from the inside out and I had clearly missed those flames as well as the smoke from the aftermath.

"There's nothing going on between us, Anakin. Come now."

I startled myself with the defiant, dark tone I replied in. "No, Master." He was startled as well and my grip on his wrist tightened unwillingly. "I want an answer." I wanted the answer that he was evidently unwilling to give. Why was he being stubborn? Never in his life had he been this stubborn, especially with me. When he was unhappy with something I'd said or done, he'd never let me see the end of it. What had changed now?

He tried to break the lock my fingers had on him, but it was essentially futile. "Can't we discuss this after we've completed the mission?" he asked, exasperated. That wasn't good enough because I knew him too well by now. He would never talk about it after the mission was over. He sighed and shook his head, clearly knowing that my answer would most definitely be a no. "Anakin, I-"

The blast doors of the bunker opened, revealing a very, very large bulk of droids. It was nothing Obi-Wan and I couldn't handle. We'd seen so much worse before. I guess he got what he wanted, the bastard. I released him and my mechno's fingers slid down the length of my body to grasp my lightsaber, quickly pulling it to chest height, activating it. I wanted to swear. I wanted to curse so loudly. I wanted to rage on with a string of profanities so vulgar that he would never forget them, but then I remembered who I was thinking such things towards. This was a man I cared deeply about, a man I trusted wholeheartedly, a man I loved...as a brother, I think. I don't even know anymore! Force damn it! He was making me want to shove the lightsaber through my twisted, confused brain. I couldn't read him anymore. He wasn't so much of an open book to me now.

His blade ignited moments after my own and we'd somehow ended up back-to-back instinctively. This was how we fought most times. We would always cover one another to the best of our abilities. That was the upside to our bond. _Our bond._ I sensed something shift in it and I...worried. He spun to my side and I felt his fingers briefly slide over my right side, just above my hipbone. He was the one to make the first move, something very uncommon with him. Normally, I was the one beginning to attack.

Either way, I called on the Force and leapt to join him. I kept my eyes on him as I fought my way through a cluster of these damned droids. I looked away only for a moment as a result of a droid distracting me, only to look back and see my former Master had vanished from my sight. My heart pounded in my chest and my mind raced faster than I'd ever flown through hyperspace. "Obi-Wan!" I cried out, my eyes darting in all directions in search of him. My distraction had been a detriment to myself and I fell to my knees as I was overwhelmed. My lightsaber deactivated and rolled away from me as I cried out so loudly that my ears begged me to hush.

Electricity coursed through me and I knew who my attacker was without having to look or sense. Just as quickly as the shock came, it was gone, replaced by a deep laughter. "Young Skywalker," he said, his voice mocking me entirely with those two words. I pushed myself up, grunting. Pain coursed more so through my right arm as a result of the metallic replacement from the elbow down. "Where is Master Kenobi? Is he not here to defend you? Has he deserted you?"

_No_, I wanted to scream. Obi-Wan would never desert me. I paused, thinking thoughts that made my stomach churn. What if he _had _deserted me? Something had changed between him and me. Something that I was unsure of. I didn't know whether or not the change had strengthened or weakened us. I chose not to answer, instead attempting to pull my lightsaber back into my grip quickly. I was able to do so and activate it in time to deflect the second barrage of lightning. "Fuck," was the only thing I could say under my breath. Dooku had gotten stronger since our last encounter.

I tried to reach out to Obi-Wan, to plead, as much as I loathed doing so, for him to help me. I don't know if he received my waves of fear, but I was trembling, falling to a knee beneath the older Sith's lightning. He chuckled, finding my performance amusing. My fear transformed in that moment from utterly afraid of being killed to angry that I couldn't do this on my own, that I had to _beg _my former Master to come to my rescue. I was too damn old for that now. I swung my saber, hoping to shift the lightning so I could move. Fortunately, it worked - somewhat.

I was able to get back on my feet and leap towards him, holding my hilt tightly between both of my hands. I slammed down on his crimson blade and stared at him, my anger coursing through me. "Ah, and that is what I was waiting for." I hissed through my teeth, my entire body seething. "Your emotions cloud your judgment, your rationale, Skywalker." I was slightly confused, that is, until his saber swung out and came crashing back towards me. I was a bit too delayed to react and my hip took the beating. I screamed as I flew back and collapsed, holding the searing and smoking part of my body. "Though," he began thoughtfully, "I'm not sure if it is of your own free will or because you've no idea where your precious Master is."

I couldn't even talk. I was too busy gasping, trying to hold the gasps in, and trying to push the pain away like Obi-Wan had taught me numerous times in the past. Right now, despite my age and experience, being used loosely, I wanted Obi-Wan here more than anything. I needed him here because I knew that, without the shadow of a doubt, he would protect me like he'd always done. He still held his lightsaber in hand, completely unsheathed. He stalked towards me slowly, observing me in my pathetic state. I wanted to move. I really did, but the pain was horrible. Even the slightest movement brought the heat back in bulk. I watched him, my eyes burning holes into his figure. He raised his lightsaber and I was about to react, only to get what I'd been hoping for.

As his blade came down on me, it was halted by an azure blade. Dooku's composure had diminished greatly as Obi-Wan began to duel him, moving him away from where I was on the ground, holding my hip as pathetically as I had ever been before. I, once again, tried moving. I managed to crawl slightly in the direction of my lightsaber, pulling it into my hand. I shifted myself painfully to look for Obi-Wan, only to have him coming back to me. "Anakin," he breathed, worry in his voice.

I gritted my teeth, knowing that, once again, I had fucked up our mission. "He's getting away!" I cried helplessly.

"Let him!" he hissed. I was taken aback by that. I, for the first time in a long time, was silent as he observed my wound. "This is..." he trailed off and I sighed, wishing he'd just tell me what I already knew. "It's pretty deep, Anakin. Obviously, not fatal, but..."

"I swear I'll go mad if you keep pausing like this," I said through my teeth. I actually meant that. I hated when he'd shift like this. He seemed uneasy every time he'd had to inform me of injuries I was already aware of. "And where the hell were you?" I thought I'd just throw that out for the hell of it because I wasn't in much control as it was. The pain took over whatever rational thought I'd tried using to speak. I sounded bitter, resentful, and he looked pained.

"I found the Separatist leader," he whispered. He didn't seem very happy with the fact that our mission had been somewhat of a success. I knew that was my fault. "He's in the back," once again a whisper. "I cuffed him."

I nodded once and tried to get myself up, only to have him coddle me in a way he _knew _I loathed. He helped me onto my feet, gingerly wrapping his arm around my waist. I tried to pull myself off of him, but he, as tender as his touch was, had a firm grip on me, so I gave in. He half carried me to the back where he'd left our Separatist leader. "Damn Neimoidians," I grunted. He seemed slightly amused by that. _Slightly._

"I'll tell you whatever you want!" he said, more pathetic than I was. I felt embarrassed to have my former Master carry me in such a way, especially in the face of an enemy. Obi-Wan's hand, on my good hip, squeezed gently. A tingling sensation coursed through me. It was very...unlike the sensation of lightning flowing through me. It felt almost..._loving._ I pushed it aside and tried to muster up as much of my dignity as I could.

"We've been ordered to bring you back to the Core for further questioning. You have nothing of importance to us in particular." Obi-Wan glanced at me, shocked that I'd actually been able to speak calmly, yet aggressively at the same time. I was no negotiator and the time for negotiations had passed. He wouldn't be released for whatever information he would possibly give us. To me, it meant nothing. To Obi-Wan, I'm sure it meant quite a bit.

"Anakin, can you -"

"Yes." I already knew he was going to ask if I could walk on my own and I hadn't even had to think twice about it. I wanted to get off of him. I wanted _him _off of _me._ There was a time and place for things like this and it certainly wasn't right now or right here. He cautiously let go of me, steadying me before stepping back to make sure I wouldn't topple over. I glared at him, wanting him to knock it off. I got tired of him treating me like a child. I'm not his fragile Padawan learner anymore. I'm his - I stopped myself. I'm not _his._ Why was I even thinking like this? Oh, fuck it. "Come on, Master. Let's get this sleemo back to Coruscant."

We'd managed to drag his sorry ass all the way back to the ship, cuffing him in the back where I sat to watch him. I sat on Obi-Wan's cot, my arms crossed over my chest, fresh bacta on my hip - courtesy of my very worried Master. He, surprisingly, had offered to fly us back to Coruscant. I wouldn't argue if he was willing.

About an hour into the flight back, the Neimoidian ended up falling asleep against the post I'd cuffed him to. I myself was beginning to drift off because this was such a dull task. I jumped when I heard the soft whisper of my former Master. "Anakin, may...may we talk?"

I stared up at him and nodded. He held his hand out for me to grasp and I stared at it like it was an alien limb. He shook it, urging me to take it. I swallowed slowly, fighting the...odd feeling in my stomach. I lifted my mechno and gripped his hand. He pulled me up and his other hand rested on my forearm while he melded our fingers together, my hand willingly staying in his. "Master?"

He shook his head and nodded at the Neimoidian in the corner, leading me back to the cockpit where we'd have a bit more privacy, though I didn't know why he was so eager to get me alone right this moment. He still held my hand and it was odd. Not in the bad way though. It was just unfamiliar to me. He's been more...affectionate since we've gone on this mission. "Anakin, there's something I need to tell you." He looked and felt nervous as hell. He could trust me with whatever it was. I urged him on with my eyes, staring directly into his. Uneasiness rushed out of him as he glanced down at our entwined hands. "Anakin, I..." I waited patiently, as patiently as I could anyway, for him to collect his thoughts. He heaved a heavy sigh and lifted his free hand to stroke my cheek, much to my surprise. "I love you, Anakin."

"I, uh, I love you too, Master."

Something changed in his eyes and I could tell that it wasn't good. "No, Anakin. Listen." Great, he was going to give me another lecture because I was apparently deaf. "I _love _you, Anakin."

He waited for it to click. It did, but I didn't want to acknowledge it. I didn't know _how _to acknowledge it. I'd never guessed that he'd felt this way about me. The emphasis in his voice made my stomach react the way it had been when I'd gone to Naboo with Padme to marry her shortly after proposing the idea of marriage to her. She called it..._butterflies_, I believe. "Master, I-"

"Never mind," he said, removing his hands from my face and my mechno, waving one as if to erase what had just been said. He began to move towards the pilot's seat and I stopped him, knowing full well why he'd shifted like this so quickly.

"Obi-Wan," I ground out. He looked back at me, just as I knew he would. He didn't want me calling him Master right now. This wasn't the time or place to. He looked pained, as if he'd been betrayed, as if he were being judged under my gaze. Damn his eyes. _Damn them._ I stepped closer to him and held the right side of his face with my gloved, flesh hand. Damn _me_ for acting on impulse. I gently brushed my lips against his, surprised by how soft they were.

He didn't even feel the slightest bit surprised. In fact, he was elevated. He was happy, delighted, overjoyed. Take your pick. He was so much happier than he'd been in quite some time. The only thing that ruined the kiss was when his hand rested on my burned hip and I hissed, breaking the light kiss. He quickly apologized, moving his hand up slightly. "Do you feel the way I do?" he asked. It was obvious that he was hoping I'd say yes.

I nodded and he smiled, stroking the sides of my face with both of his hands. "I love you too, Obi-Wan." His smile widened. My heart raced as his soft fingers delicately traced my cheekbones. I wasn't sure where these sudden feelings of mine had come from, but I hoped it wasn't my mind being sick and twisted enough to trick him. In fact, I _did _love him. I just wasn't sure to what extent. I'm pretty sure my impulsive kiss meant that it was more than I'd told myself.

"Oh, Anakin," he sighed, his smile breathtaking. Literally. I hadn't realized that I'd stopped breathing as he stared up into my eyes after observing my lips for a short time. "Anakin, breathe," he commanded. I exhaled and he looked concerned. "You were turning blue."

I chuckled nervously and shifted my eyes away only for a few seconds before dragging them back to meet his. "How long have you felt like this about me, Mas- Obi-Wan?"

He blushed sheepishly and I raised an eyebrow. "I've loved you since you were sixteen, Anakin." _Sixteen._ Wow. He'd waited _six years _to tell me this. I was baffled by that for sure. He gently lowered my face to his tilted one and my eyes slid to a close without my consent. His warm lips were against mine again and moving slowly. He was being so seductive right now and it was certainly affecting me in more ways than one. My face probably turned a dark shade of red at the bulge in the lower portion of my body. My face was on fire. I loved his lips. I loved his hands as they roamed over my chest and shoulders. I loved that he loved _me._


	5. Chapter 5

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I was extremely, _extremely _pissed off. Obi-Wan had tricked me on that damned flight home. As soon as we touched down on Coruscant, he completely brushed away every ounce of love we'd shared on the voyage. He'd kissed me, whispered affectionate words, and held me for a little while, repeating the first two actions. We'd turned the Neimoidian scum over to the Council who greeted us right outside of the temple, much to my dismay. I tried following Obi-Wan, wanting to talk to him about the most recent change in our relationship and you know what he said? "I'm sorry, Anakin. It can't and won't happen again."

That fucking bastard. I stormed away from him without saying another word and I've not gone anywhere near him since we came back. I locked myself in my room, only opening it occasionally when my Padawan, Ahsoka, wanted to come in or go out. Right now, she was in the dorm with me. I was seething, not even bothering to read the holopad I'd placed in front of my face. If anything, it was there to hide the angry tears finding their way down my cheeks. I felt betrayed. How could he do something like that to me? "Master?" her quiet voice finally broke my angry chain of thought. I rubbed my eyes before lowering the holopad, glancing at her wearily. "When are you going to talk to me?"

"What would you like me to talk about?" I snapped, not intentionally. She flinched, but recovered just as quickly.

"What happened on Tatooine? Why are you so angry?"

I sighed, knowing I couldn't discuss this with her. I couldn't discuss this with anyone really. I didn't trust Obi-Wan right now and I was Ahsoka's Jedi Master. I was supposed to be a good influence on her. Having the feelings I felt towards Obi-Wan were _not _symbolic of a good influence. I shook my hand and waved it off. "Nothing."

I knew she wanted to say more. I knew she wanted to fight. That was in her nature. She wasn't satisfied by my not wanting to talk. She always found a way to open me up, but that usually consisted of a few lies here and there to get her off my back. "Master-"

"I'm going to meditate for a little while, Ahsoka," I whispered. She looked stunned by that, as stunned as I was. I rarely meditated and, when I did so, I couldn't wait for it to be over. She nodded and let it go at that as I raised myself from my cot and wandered off towards the door. She told me that she was hoping I'd find peace in my meditation and I only nodded in response. Peace? My emotions and body were in utter turmoil right now.

If I even _saw _or _heard _Obi-Wan, I'd immediately go to my defensive, well-protected walls. My barriers were stronger than they'd ever been. Not even Ahsoka, in close proximity, could feel most of what I was hiding. That's how strong it was. My hip burned as I made my way towards the fountains. I'd always meditated here. It was...relaxing. Force, my thoughts were so jumbled right now...

Once I reached the fountains, I heaved a sigh of relief. I didn't even bother with grabbing a mat or some piece of cloth to sit on. I sat with my legs crossed directly in front of one of the smaller fountains. It was large enough that I could hear the water rushing loudly. I closed my eyes and rested my tense hands on my knees. How is one to relieve themselves of being brokenhearted? I hated games, especially this kind. I couldn't believe- I sighed. Here I go again, my mind racing with an endless ocean of thoughts.

I decided to clear my mind, breathe in, breathe out, and continue the process until I felt myself relaxing. Breathe in, breathe out. I had managed to tune out the loud Padawans down the hall and blur the Force signatures around me. Right here, right now, I was the only one in this room, in this temple, in this _galaxy. _I felt a smile curving on my lips as warmth spread through me. I felt like so much of the darkness and the pain had left me. That is, until that warmth became _physical _warmth. I felt arms wrap around my midsection and my eyes shot open quickly. I looked down and saw those familiar, calloused hands. My stomach began to churn and tears were already welling up in my eyes. "Anakin," his soft voice whispered. I grabbed his hands and pulled them away from me. "Anakin," he said, his voice breaking ever so slightly. I almost didn't notice it because he was trying that hard to stay composed. "Talk to me."

"Why?" I snapped quietly. There were others around. I was surprised he'd even wrapped his arms around me. Considering the way we'd parted earlier, why the hell would he think that was okay? And in the room where most others come to think or meditate too. He looked hurt, but he couldn't possibly be hurting as much as I was. "Do you just want to mindfuck me a little more, Obi-Wan? Is that it?"

"Can we go somewhere else and talk about this?" I stood straighter, defiant, and crossed my arms over my chest, staring directly at him with hardened eyes. He sighed, knowing that I wasn't willing to go anywhere with him right this moment. "At least sit down and relax?" Again, I steeled myself. And again, he sighed. "Anakin, I'm sorry. I _do _love you. I meant that when I said it. I was sincere with every kiss and every touch I placed upon your body, Anakin."

And to make things worse, his fingers melded with mine ever so slightly. If anyone had been watching, they wouldn't realize that he was trying to hold my hand because the cuffs of his robe hung low enough to hide it. "Then why..." I trailed off, contemplating whether or not I should bluntly say "_Why did you play with my mind when we got back to Coruscant?_ He waited patiently, watching my eyes, searching. He wanted to know that I wasn't going to storm off on him like I had earlier. "Why did you act like those kisses and touches meant nothing to you? As soon as we entered Coruscant's atmosphere, every bit of affection I felt from you had vanished into thin air."

"I'm...trying to protect you, Anakin." I wanted to scream. _Protect me?_ What was he protecting me from? Being a homosexual? Yes, I'm finally admitting it to myself. It explains so many instances in the past that I couldn't explain before. Such as not finding women very...sexually attractive, having a _very _hard time staying stimulated during sex, and it certainly explained a lot of my dreams of Obi-Wan over the years that certainly were _not _of a Master and apprentice nature.

"Protect me from what exactly?" I asked, keeping my voice at least somewhat leveled despite the way my body was screaming at me to unleash every emotion I kept locked away right now. I pulled my hand away from his and my fingers instinctively curled into a fist.

He moved his hand to my shoulder and stared into my eyes. I could see the love inside of them, but I didn't want to believe it. After what he'd said earlier, he couldn't really love me, could he? His fingers soothed the tense muscles of that particular shoulder and he began speaking again, quieter than before. "Anakin, I'm protecting you from your emotions. If you intensify them, we'll be found out. We could be used _against _one another."

"So trying not to get caught is more important than my feelings?" I shrugged my shoulder away from him and he became uneasy. He opened his mouth to speak, but shut it once he decided the silence would more than likely be the best course of action. "I see."

"Anakin," he pleaded. Every single time he said my name, my heart reacted in a way that it's never done before. I liked it, but I didn't want it right _now._ "Anakin, _you _are important to me. I do love you. I truly do. I wish I could make you understand, but-"

"Make me understand," I said quickly, interrupting him. "Tell me what it is that you're trying to do here because I'm very clueless. You've never been one to play mind games, Obi-Wan. Why start now?"

He heaved a heavy sigh, the rise and fall of his shoulders adding to the effect. "I am not playing games with you. I just…" He looked up at me with his dulled eyes and I could see that the life in them was trying to spark. It just seemed like he didn't know what to do or say right now to make the situation better. "I love you," he whispered. "Nothing is more important than that. You are the most important person in my life. You have been for quite some time."

I watched him with guarded eyes. I didn't want to believe him. I couldn't. I had given my love to one too many people and my heart hadn't been spared from each encounter. I'd never told Obi-Wan about any of them, but that was because I was afraid of how he'd look at me. I _had _tried a relationship with a man after things between Padme and I started going downhill. I had gone out of my comfort zone and I had picked the wrong man that night. We fought whenever I'd sneak out to see him. I usually won our fights, but that was because the love I thought I'd held for him had dissipated. I would always come back to the temple with bruises, at least until I stopped going to see him. He didn't know I was a Jedi. He never would. That man wasn't like Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan… He had always been different. Obi-Wan was tender and caring and, above everything else, gentle. There was no darkness inside of him that he couldn't share with me. We had a bond that no one else had. "I love you," was the first thing I'd said after several silent, contemplative thoughts.

"Come to my dorm with me," he whispered. It wasn't him sending out an invitation for…_things._ It was his way of saying he wanted us t talk in private and I suppose I was willing now. I loved Obi-Wan. He was a good man with a good heart and all the good intentions of a martyr. He started walking away from me and turned only slightly to make sure I was following, which I was. We walked through the halls silently until we reached his dorm. He punched in his code that he blatantly moved aside for me to see. After he finished, he looked back at me and my eyes met his. He wanted me to come here more often. Perhaps it was best to come here since I had a Padawan in my quarters.

He stepped over the threshold and I followed in, letting the door hiss behind me. I hadn't been in here for quite some time. It looked so…like him. It was plain with only a few books littering shelves in the corner. He moved, taking a seat on his bed, and motioned for me to join him. I knew he didn't want to push. It was a…friendly gesture from him. I nodded and moved to his bed, sitting beside him. I glanced at him sideways for a few moments before speaking. "Obi-Wan, what are we even doing? You're so…_strict._ You have never disobeyed a direct order from the Council. This...thing with me is forbidden." It hurt to admit that, but it was true. I didn't understand why he would give up every aspect of the Order he'd held dear for how many years. Was I _that _important to him that he'd give up the Order for me? If he were to confirm that I was, I wouldn't be able to let him go through with it. The Order was and still _is _his _life._

I watched his eyes and they lit up slightly, an amused smile on his delicate lips. "A young Jedi once told me that we are meant to be compassionate," he whispered. My face became increasingly hot as I remembered telling him that in defiance as a teenager. I smiled at the memory. He had questioned where I'd been one night and I told him I was out with a few of the female Padawans, to which he began his lecture on the 'attachment is forbidden' bit. "I realize now that he was right."

"Why did…" I trailed off, not really knowing what I was going to ask of him. He looked at me patiently, waiting. He had always done this with me. When we talked, unless I disobeyed his order, he would always speak calmly and patiently. "Obi-Wan, why did you reveal your feelings for me after feeling this way for many years?"

It was his turn to take on a reddened face. I smirked at him, knowing that I could always get him back after he'd gotten me. "I was afraid of you, of what you would think. I didn't want it to seem like I was the jealous Master who perversely wanted his apprentice. I didn't want you to think I wanted you because you were the only one I associated with most of the time. I wanted to build up our relationship before we got serious, if we could ever have gotten serious." He paused, lost in his thought. Since he had given me patience, I returned it, watching him with curious eyes. He lifted his head and stroked his beard, his trademarked motion. "I wanted to know what you would think before I made any 'moves' on you. I have loved you very deeply, Anakin. I wouldn't risk our friendship over something that may not have been possible before. I never thought you would feel as I do. Senator Amidala-"

My eyes widened and I jumped to interject. "She and I had nothing. It didn't work out. It couldn't have worked out." I practically spit all of that out in a jumbled mess, but he understood. "Things with her had been…difficult. When you held me on the ship that night, I…I felt vulnerable. Obi-Wan, I felt how concerned, how loving, and how caring you were."

He lifted a hand to stroke the side of my face gently. "I have always been concerned for you. I have always loved you. I have _always _cared about you." I smiled and enjoyed the sensation his warm fingers left on my skin as they moved. Eventually, he just caressed my cheek and kept his palm to it. "You have been the most important person I have ever come into contact to. I felt selfish to want you to myself and I feel that I may have been too hard on you at times because of my selfishness."

"When have you been _selfish?_" I blurted, disbelief coloring my voice. Never had I seen him as the selfish type. Never had I even _called _him selfish. I had declared openly on many occasions that I felt he was holding me back, but I can't remember ever calling him selfish.

"I never wanted you out with those girls. I never wanted you out of my sight, Anakin." He gave me a weak smile, his eyes saddening. "I felt alone when you weren't around. I felt alone. Once you were knighted, that loneliness intensified. Had I known we were going to see each other much more often than not, I would have been fine. I have always craved being in your company."

He pulled his hand back and it felt like a burn was left where his fingers had been. He scooted further back onto the bed and laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling. I felt like he was inviting me to lay beside him and I wasn't sure why, but I did. We laid side by side on his bed and I kept my eyes on his face, watching him curiously. "Tell me what's on your mind, Master."

"Don't call me Master," he said quietly. He turned his head to look at me and gave me a weak smile. "I'm your Obi-Wan and you are-"

"Your Anakin," I said with a teasing smile, filling in the rest of his sentence. No longer would he call me Padawan or just Anakin. I was _his _Anakin now. I pulled my flesh arm up and held my hand in the air between us, waiting for him to take my hand. When he did, our fingers laced between one another's and we held on gently, yet firmly. "I don't want to ruin this, Obi-Wan," I whispered.

I didn't want this relationship to turn into what it had been with the other man I'd tried to love. I couldn't even stimulate myself to want sex with that man because he'd been so crude at times. Obi-Wan had known something was wrong and he'd tried to coax it out of me, but I wasn't an open book anymore. Perhaps I would tell him someday, but not right now. Right now, I just wanted to focus on him, him _and _me. "You won't, Anakin. I have longed to be with you for years." We let the silence ease between us and stared into each other's eyes. His thumb slid along my hand, rubbing the skin, leaving fire in its wake. "I will never hurt you or play with your mind, Anakin. I love you far too much to do that to you."

I nodded and he squeezed my hand gently. "I trust you." I could trust him. He was being honest with me. I never knew he'd felt like this and I wish I had known I felt the same way. It was a wonder how he'd never made an attempt to kiss me or something while I was his apprentice. Hell, I wondered how he'd never done anything while I slept in his bed as his apprentice, while I slept beside him in close quarters on missions. It was something that couldn't be helped and it had always been very comfortable with him. I could definitely trust him. Obi-Wan was very unique, and in a _very _good way.


	6. Chapter 6

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

Things between Anakin and I were getting on track once again. I hadn't liked the way we'd parted earlier after returning to the temple. I felt like a fool to shove him off like I did. No lover should ever do that to their partner and I'd done that to my potential partner. Laying beside him for nearly two hours was very pleasant. I was given the chance to see my former Padawan in a new light. I had always seen his protective, caring, and aggressive sides. Never had I seen how much love was inside of him. I could feel how happy he was right now and I felt much better myself. I loved being with him and I loved that we were able to talk as we did. He asked me numerous questions as I did him and we got to know each other better. Even after being around one another for nearly thirteen years, we still had much to learn about the other.

The only interruption we had was Ahsoka comming him to ask if he would be joining her for dinner as they had planned, to which he asked if I'd like to go, then he asked if she would be all right with my joining them. I liked his Padawan. She was very much like him and she was learning quite a bit from him already, even though he taught her differently than I taught him. Anakin straightened his tunic and I smiled at him. He looked so…_beautiful._ That was the only word I could use at this particular moment. He was the most gorgeous man I had ever laid eyes on and the bonus was that his heart was as beautiful as he was. His eyes met mine after he fixed himself and he cocked an eyebrow. "You like?" he asked, teasing me.

I gave him a light laugh, shaking my head. I stepped towards him and stroked the right side of his face gently. I stared at his scar and I felt him grow uneasy under my gaze. "I love everything about you, Anakin." I slid my hand up to his scar and traced it gently, my now gloved fingers ghosting over it. He shivered and I met his eyes again. "This scar doesn't take away from your beauty." I watched his cheeks turn bright red and I couldn't help but smile wider. I slid my hand back down to his chin and gently pulled his face towards mine, pressing my lips against his. His lips were chapped, but still very soft. When he was nervous, his mouth would get dry and it affected his lips. That didn't take away from the kiss, however. Kissing him was kissing him. It was a wonderful feeling nonetheless.

His cobalt eyes looked so full of life as he stared at me longingly. He still questioned how all of this had happened so suddenly and neither of us really had an explanation as of this moment in time. It just…happened. Well, it _just _happened for him. I have loved him for much longer. "I love you," he whispered, leaning his forehead against mine, his lashes making his eyes look so much more magnificent.

"I love you," I repeated. I lifted both of my hands to hold both sides of his face and I rubbed my thumbs along his skin, smiling. This felt like a dream come true. It _was _a dream come true. I had dreamed of being with him for so long and now we were together. _The will of the Force._ That was the reason we'd been brought together. The Force works in mysterious ways, but it has brought Anakin and me to where we are now. I remember him discussing it with Ahsoka at one point. He told me how he felt it was the will of the Force that brought her to him. I had felt…jealous. The light in his eyes when he'd said that to me seemed as though he were grateful to have her at his side and not just because he could be the Master for once.

"Something's troubling you. What is it?" I blinked and realized that my hands traveled to his hair and had gripped the ends of a few strands a bit too tightly, tugging. I loosened up and stared into his beautiful eyes that were now filled with concern.

"I was just thinking, my Anakin." It was as though his smile were an instantaneous reaction to being called _mine._ I rubbed my thumb across his lower lip and shook my head. "We'd best be going. Your Padawan is waiting for us."

He nodded and I began to make my way towards the door, only to have him swiftly slide in front of me, blocking the exit. He had that playful smile he'd worn a majority of the time while he was my Padawan. I could recognize it anywhere. He pecked my lips and chuckled before letting us both step out into the main hall. I watched him as he walked with an extra spring to his step. _That _was something I hadn't seen in a while. He'd been very down since telling me of his angry outrage on Tatooine and many things had happened between that night and now. Anakin's life would never be a simple one. His emotions ruled him more than anything else ever could.

We met up with Ahsoka on the landing platform and she smiled, bowing to me as Anakin did – only out of respect, nothing more. "Good evening, Master Kenobi." Her eyes flew to Anakin and then returned to me.

"Good evening, Ahsoka." Anakin continued towards the speeder to get it all set. I stood beside Ahsoka, sensing that she needed a moment to speak with me while Anakin was out of earshot. "Is something the matter?" I asked, leaning closer to her.

She watched Anakin and I could feel her concern for him. "I worry about Anakin. He hasn't been himself in a while." She began to rub her arm nervously, as was her habit. "You should have seen him earlier. I don't know if he realized it, but he was crying and trying to hide it from me."

He _cried?_ My heart clenched as I watched my Anakin. He was sitting in the driver's seat, turning on whatever needed to be on. He knew better than I did. "He was meditating and I…sensed his turmoil. I went to speak with him and things seem to be better than they were at least."

"Master, if you don't mind me asking, did something happen on Tatooine?" _No._ I wanted to say no, but I really despised telling lies when it came to talking to either Ahsoka or Anakin. She stared up at me expectantly and I felt that I should at least keep our relationship and those details under wraps. I promised him we would be okay if we remained a secret and he seemed, surprisingly, all right with the idea of keeping our relationship hidden.

I sighed and nodded slowly, my eyes still locked on him. "Tatooine has very…_harsh _memories for him. It was a very trying experience for him. As much as I should lecture him for this, he hates Tatooine." He looked up from the speeder and raised his eyebrow in question. I whispered to him through the Force since our bond as Master and Padawan had been severed a while ago. "Be patient, my young lover."

_Young _seemed to get a rise out of him and he went back to busying himself with the controls of the speeder. In order to create a full bond with him again, we would have to come together. It would display an attachment, however, and that was frowned upon by the Council. I thought about asking him to join me in my quarters after dinner was over. I was considering bonding with him without the Council's consent or knowledge. We were adults. Anakin and I could handle ourselves and our emotions. Well, I could control our emotions. Anakin could try his best. "Are you able to tell me why he hates it so much?" she whispered, bringing me back to reality. "I want to help him."

"As I told you on Kiros, he and his mother were sold into slavery, Ahsoka," I began. It hurt to think about Anakin as a slave. He was very bold, strong-willed, and…just everything he always had been. To think of him as submissive and weak was painful. "He lost his mother. It was…tragic and, for him, traumatizing." I remembered exactly what Anakin had said to me the night he told me. Yes, it had been long after the event, but at least he had opened up to me.

"_I slaughtered an entire camp of Tusken Raiders, Master._" He had blurted it out and I had stared at him in utter disbelief. "_Stop looking at me like _I'm _the monster!_" The way he screamed it at me… I felt so much pain in his voice then. His eyes were brimmed with tears and his lips trembled. "_They killed my mother! She died in my arms! How should I have acted? I loved my mother and they _took _her from me!_" In place of the confused look he was giving me once again, I saw that look of pure anger from that night. He was in so much pain and there was nothing I could have said or done to help him. I didn't lecture him because I knew it would do nothing to help him. Anakin had already committed the act and there was no way of returning the lives of the Tusken camp, nor of his mother. I wished desperately that I could have brought his mother back…

"Obi-Wan." His voice brought me, once again, back to reality. I hadn't realized he'd gotten out of the speeder and walked over to me. His eyes were searching mine and I tried my best not to remind him of what he'd done, of what he'd said. I hated to see him that angry. Such anger could lead him down the wrong path. It could lead him down a path I wouldn't and couldn't follow. It would lead him somewhere dark and I would never be able to redeem him. _He _would never be able to redeem himself. Once his emotions controlled him, he was lost until he regained that control and he almost always needed someone, mainly me, to guide him back to where he had been prior to feeling the rage, the pain, the suffering.

I rested my hand on his chest and his eyes widened. Lucky for us, Ahsoka was standing behind him, facing away from us. His lips parted and I could feel his heart pounding in his chest. I smiled weakly, rubbing over his chest. "I apologize, Anakin. I'm distracted. Shall we go out to dinner?"

He looked very skeptical and I knew he was still searching for the true answer to the numerous questions that were running through that beautiful mind of his. He placed his hand over the one I had placed over his heart and smiled weakly at me. I tried to give him a reassuring look. I wanted him to believe I was fine. I was distracted, distracted by him in many ways. "I love you," he whispered. It was such a quiet whisper and I knew that even Ahsoka's sensitive hearing wouldn't be able to hear what he'd just said.

Instead of letting it go at that, I moved closer to him and his head inclined towards me, so I knew he was on the same train of thought as I was. Our lips silently pressed together. His lips were now smooth and wet. He must be easing up to the idea of _us._ We parted moments later and his gloved fingers ghosted over my beard. I saw a faint light in his eyes and it warmed my heart. To see happiness instead of sadness or anger in them made me feel as though I had accomplished a great feat.

Ahsoka trudged off towards the speeder, growing frustrated and impatient. She plopped down into the passenger seat and crossed her arms over her chest, staring at the dashboard, burning holes into it. Anakin straightened up and turned to face his apprentice. "She's so much like you, Anakin."

He shrugged his shoulders, but smiled. "I'm fun." _That _he was. I'd never admit that to him though. Even as a Padawan he'd been a lot of fun. I never joined him in any of his shenanigans, but that was because I had to set an example for him and he was meant to learn from me. If I encouraged his behavior, I would have gotten into more trouble than I already had. "She's a quick learner and a very talented Jedi. I'm proud of Ahsoka," he added, awe in his tone.

I looked up at him and saw a shimmer in his eyes, but it was brief. He looked down at me, smiling warmly. He took my breath away. It happened quite frequently, though I failed to notice it most of the time. "Are you two _ever _going to get in?" Ahsoka whined from the speeder. Her impatience was the equivalent to that of Anakin's.

Anakin chuckled to himself and it made me want to kiss him once more, but I knew we wouldn't get that chance until we were alone again. We were lucky to have gotten a silent kiss in when his Padawan was within earshot and sight. We made our way towards the speeder. I let him drive and I moved to sit in the back. He nudged Ahsoka playfully with his arm, smiling like he always did when he would act childish. "We're getting old, Snips. Give us a break."

I always liked his playful nature and it was a relief that he was _finally _referring to himself as old. He was still younger than me, but he was getting to that age where he needed to mature a little more. Unfortunately, he'd been forced to mature as a result of his mother dying. It was nice to see his playful side come out here and there, especially since the man was becoming war-hardened.

Ahsoka snorted and he drove off of the landing platform, flying through the Coruscanti traffic. "So, Masters, what did you find on Tatooine?" she asked, breaking the silence looming over the three of us. I could feel Anakin's calmness beginning to fade and so could his Padawan. "Or we could talk about what we could eat for dinner…"

"All we found was scum, scum, and more scum." She raised her eye markings at him, but he left it at that. I knew where he was flying us. It was a tradition for him to go to Dex's when he didn't feel like eating the rations around the temple.

When we arrived, I suddenly felt overwhelmingly possessive of Anakin. It was something I felt often when we were out in public. Now that he was actually mine, I wasn't sure if what I felt was unhealthy…or Jedi-like. The two of them hopped over the sides and I joined Anakin on his side. I rested a hand on his back and smiled up at him as he turned to face me. "You look beautiful." I watched his face go bright red and I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me. He was a very beautiful man.

"You've always looked dazzling," he whispered, his eyes lighting up with the final word. Ahsoka cleared her throat ahead of us and we fixed ourselves up, acting as though the transaction between us had been strictly professional. He and Ahsoka slid into a booth, both taking up opposite sides. I was torn between which side I should sit on. I didn't want Ahsoka to think something was going on between Anakin and me, but I also didn't want him to think I was trying to avoid any public displays of affection. Yes, we agreed to remain hidden, but he still wanted some public affection.

Ah, to hell with it. I slid in beside him and rested my hand on his thigh. His eyes were wide behind the menu he was holding in front of his face and one of his hands slid down to rest on mine. He gently squeezed my fingers and I scooted closer to pretend like I was sharing the menu with him. Our eyes locked and he was the first to smile. "You're acting like you have something to hide," Ahsoka declared in front of us. He lowered the menu and we both acted innocent, though our hands were still together beneath the table.

"Yes. We're talking about you, Snips," he said sarcastically. His eyebrow raised and her eye markings rose with it. It seemed as though they were having some silent contest to see who could determine the actual truth. Anakin was pretty good at lying, unless he was talking to me. After several moments of watching them glare in each other's direction, Ahsoka caved in and huffed a sigh of defeat, exasperated.

"Whatever, Master," she said, laughing slightly, pulling her menu back up. Anakin smiled playfully before turning to give me his dashing smile.

We spent a short amount of time discussing the food on the menu. It appeared as though Anakin brought Ahsoka here on occasion because they were both pretty familiar with the food and with the waitress. Anakin and I, coincidentally, ordered the same dish as soon as the waitress asked if we were ready to give our order.

It was a pure fact that Anakin and I spent too much time in this diner. He and I had tasted pretty much everything on the menu together and we'd discovered each other's preferences. Apparently, he'd received my preferences as a result of being here much too often…


	7. Chapter 7

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

The last month has been very…_relaxing._ Obi-Wan and I have been taking our relationship very slowly, one step at a time. We've talked about a lot of personal things and we've kissed quite a bit as well as begun touching each other in ways we only dreamed about touching one another. He's turned me into quite the bold one in bed, though our relationship hasn't gone as far as actually having sex. _Yet._ He kept promising me that we'd get to it soon, but he didn't want to push me, which was fine. He told me he and Master Vos shared…themselves intimately before and he knew that I hadn't done anything like that, so he wanted me to be all right. I tried to reassure him of that, but he didn't want to risk it. He wanted _our _first time to be perfect and that included not putting my body through painful bliss. He was perfectly fine with the bliss portion of that, but he didn't want it to be painful.

Right now, he, Ahsoka, and I had been assigned to another mission. We were, or rather Obi-Wan was, meant to find a diplomatic solution to our loosening ties with the Hutts on Tatooine. That meant that we were once again on that hellhole. Ahsoka was enjoying our stay in a decent hut, considering our ship decided to break down and crash in the middle of the dune sea. Obi-Wan had contacted my step-brother, Owen, and his newlywed wife, Beru, and asked if we could stay with them until our mission was complete. Unfortunately, there were only two bedrooms in their hut, which meant Ahsoka shared the room with us. As a plus, there were only two beds in our room. Obi-Wan suggested that he and I share a bed since we'd done it on numerous occasions in tight-spot missions. Ahsoka gave us a very skeptical look, but shrugged it off, adding not-so-quietly that she wouldn't like sleeping next to someone who snores so much, that someone being me, so he and I were sharing a bed.

It was the middle of the night and Obi-Wan woke me up with his restlessness. That was the unfortunate part of being so close, but I'd gotten used to it, and I knew it meant something was bothering him. I opened my eyes to meet his direct gaze as he was already facing me. "What's wrong?"

He lifted one hand up from beneath the blanket and stroked my jaw. "I was having a nightmare," he said solemnly. It was very rare for him to have nightmares, but he still had them. I pushed myself up onto my elbow and stared down at him as he remained on the pillow, looking up at me. "Can we go somewhere private and talk, Anakin?"

I nodded, my eyes sweeping over Ahsoka's sleeping form briefly before I planted a silent kiss on his forehead, closing my eyes momentarily. "Of course, Obi-Wan." I pulled the blanket over myself and laid it against the wall. He scooted over the side and I followed him. He was wearing his sleep pants while I was clad only in my boxers. It didn't bother me to sleep beside him almost naked and it didn't seem to bother him seeing as he hasn't made _one _complaint since we began to sleep beside one another. We'd been sharing his dorm at night for the last few weeks and it was wonderful. I loved feeling his warmth beside me and his arms around me. His beard tickled my skin, but it was still very pleasant.

I grabbed some of the sleep pants he'd packed away for me and pulled them on quickly, then we went out into Owen and Beru's kitchen area and I was about to take a seat, but I noticed that he kept going towards the opening that would lead up to the sandy planet. I raised an eyebrow as I trailed behind him, wondering why he wanted to go _out._ We got to the surface and I paused beside him, watching him quietly. He took my hand and led me towards the right side of the hut and sat down, pulling me down with him. "Anakin, I…" His hand tightened around mine and I began to worry. I kept quiet because I didn't want him to think he had to hide whatever it is he's trying to say. His eyes met mine and I swore I saw tears forming in them. "I'm afraid that I'm going to lose you, Anakin."

I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and shushed him, pulling his head into the crook of my neck. He seemed to relax as I stroked his hair gently. "You won't lose me. You'll never lose me." He felt doubtful. It all washed over me as he let his walls down so I could feel what he felt. He was better at controlling himself, however. "I don't know why you think you'll lose me, but I promise I'm yours, Obi-Wan."

"I've felt very possessive of you," he whispered, dragging each word out. It was very…different to hear that come out of his mouth. Obi-Wan, being the most proper Jedi I'd known since arriving at the temple, was feeling something that he ordinarily wouldn't have felt. I wondered if I had negative effects on him, effects that would end up ruining his Jedi career or his _life._ "Don't worry, my Anakin. It's nothing serious. It's just…I don't want to let you go. _Ever._"

I nodded, rubbing my cheek against the crown of his head. I kept my mechanical fingers in his hair, gently playing with strands. "I'm not going to make you let go." I was concerned because he never had to worry about losing me in all the years that we've known each other, or at least he didn't _say _that he worried about losing me. It had probably been something he kept in the dark for the longest time, but it was finally starting to eat away at him for reasons I couldn't understand. "Is it your nightmare that's worried you?"

He sat up straighter and I kept my eyes on him. He turned to face me and he looked so…_sad._ "Yes, Anakin. I haven't been able to _see _much, but I have heard you in so much pain in the last set of recurring dreams I've had." My heart tightened. _Pain?_ What exactly was he dreaming me into here? I leaned closer to him and kissed the side of his mouth, whispering whatever soothing words I could in an attempt to help him feel somewhat better, even if it was only incremental. "Stop it, Anakin," he hissed, making me cringe as I recoiled. "I'm very afraid that something's going to happen to you and you're not taking this seriously."

I ran my fingers through my hair and breathed a long sigh. "I just wanted to make you feel better, Obi-Wan. I'm sorry." He seemed to notice that the way he'd just spoken had affected me, so he pulled me closer to him again. He spread his legs apart and pulled me so that I was sitting between them. I leaned back against his chest and his arms wound around me. I put my human hand on top of both of his and nuzzled my face against his jaw.

"I'm being too hard on you," he whispered solemnly. I didn't believe that, but I knew he would debate me on it if I denied it. He slid his hands up my bare chest and rubbed over my clavicle. I felt something _very _hard against my ass and I smirked. Indeed, he was being _too hard _on me. I wondered if he wanted to make love for the first time. He hasn't brought it up for fear of pushing me into something I wasn't ready for, but _maybe _I was ready.

I sucked in a deep breath of air as my own cock hardened in my pants. The bulge was _obvious_ and I knew he would see it as soon as he looked. "Obi-Wan," I breathed. I looked up at his face as his eyes met mine. He gave me a questioning look and I sat up a bit, taking one of his hands, moving it down my body. Once his hand rested on my hardness, he pulled his hand back. I was shocked that he wouldn't advance once I made the first indication of being ready for him, but I let it go at that for the moment and leaned against his chest again.

We both remained silent, the only sounds around us being our quiet breathing and the natural sounds of Tatooine. "Anakin, are you sure?" was what he finally whispered after several minutes of stroking my chest or my hair.

"Yes." I had the right to be nervous about it, but I did want him. We've known each over for over a decade. Sure, we've only really been together like this for a month, but having sex wasn't wrong. I've dreamt about him fucking me for the last several years, no matter how sporadic those dreams had been. It was something I wanted.

"I want this to be perfect," he said, pain in his voice. It was a pain I didn't understand. "I want to show you how much I love you, Anakin. I don't want to hurt you in any way."

I smiled up at him reassuringly and he stroked the side of my face. "I know you do, Obi-Wan, but listen to me. It's going to be painful regardless of doing it now or in a few weeks. I've…never been penetrated, so it's going to hurt." He seemed to find that amusing somehow. I didn't question it. I liked to see him smile, even if I didn't understand why he was smiling. "The only problem is Ahsoka."

He kissed my right temple and laughed quietly. "Unless you're a screamer, we may not have to worry about that." I didn't respond. I wasn't sure _what _to say to that. When I had sex with Padme or with the other women I met after ending things with Padme, I _never _screamed. Then again, I was the one doing the thrusting, not the one taking it. Again, he kissed my temple, his arms wrapped tighter around me. "Don't force yourself to do this, Anakin. I'm not going anywhere unless you go with me, so take your time."

I bit the inside of my cheek. I wanted to do something, _anything_, to please him. "How about this," I began slowly, grinding my words out at a pace that kept me wondering how ready I truly was. "How about you...you…" I trailed off, wondering why the hell I couldn't get this out. I knew what I wanted. _He _must have known what I wanted. He seemed to know a lot of what I was thinking lately and I wasn't sure if that was a result of attempting to bond one night before Ahsoka barged in and told us the Council had been looking for us for hours. We weren't sure how bonded we were right now, but I did intend on completing it whenever we had the chance to try again. "Can you let me suck you off at least?" I blurted finally. I closed my eyes, waiting for the laugh of embarrassment or the '_you don't sound like you're ready, Anakin_' lecture.

"I will not force you to, but I won't deny you if it's what you want, Anakin." I could sense the hesitation in his voice, but his body betrayed him. He wanted me to do it more than he was letting on. I smiled as his cock throbbed against my backside. I pushed myself off of him, stood, and held out a hand, which he gratefully took without reluctance, and pulled him up in front of me. There was a wild look in his eyes as he stared directly at me. His hands lifted to the sides of my face and he rubbed his thumbs along my cheekbones before pressing his warm, wet, soft lips against my own. My mouth was dry. I was _nervous._ I had this done to me before, but I myself had never _performed _it. Well, willingly for that matter… I wasn't sure what he liked, but I knew what _I _liked, so I would try that first.

"I love you," I said, my voice shaky. I rested my hands on his hips and squeezed gently. I pulled him against me and rubbed our clothed erections against one another. His lips and teeth grazed my neck, biting into my skin occasionally.

"I love you." His breath was hot on my throat and my cock began to ache. All I could think about was having his warm length in my mouth. Again, I had never done it before, but I dreamt about it so many times. I'm sure the real thing would be much better. We moved out of sight and I knelt in front of him, sinking into the cool sand beneath me, my hands holding his hips, his in my hair. "I love you so much," he said, his voice very husky.

I smiled as I slowly moved my trembling fingers to slide his sleeping pants and underwear down at the same time. I dropped them to his ankles and licked my lips as his member sprung to life right before my eyes. "Mm," I moaned. It looked so tasty… I was even beginning to drool. Again, I licked my lips, this time lifting my eyes to meet his lustful ones. He was _mine._ He was _all _mine. His fingers wove through my hair soothingly and he smiled down at me.

Like it had done multiple times whenever I'd thought about having any form of sex with him, my nervousness began to take over. I stared at his cock and wasn't sure what to do. I wasn't sure that I _could_ do anything. All of the boldness I'd felt moments earlier was replaced by my fear of disappointing him. I opened my mouth and held his hips tighter as I moved my face towards him, taking his slick head in. I was awarded a low, guttural moan. He fisted my hair and I let my tongue roam over his head before bobbing my head forward a bit. He tasted _amazing._ He was so salty and so sweet at the same time. I knew the real thing was better than dreams made it out to be.

I closed my eyes only for a moment. I moved up his shaft a bit, letting my tongue do what it needed to do to keep him slick and aroused, and his hand stroked the side of my face. "Open your eyes," he said quietly. I did and lifted them to meet his own. I liked the way he was smiling at me. It wasn't a smile of pure pleasure. No, there was also an abundance of love in it. He didn't just love me because I was doing this. He loved me because of our natural bond, our natural desire for one another, and our natural need to be near one another. It was difficult to get through the day when we weren't together. That's what our love has done to us. We craved the closeness and this only proved that we were able to come closer. Again, his fingers wove through my hair and I continued to slowly bob back and forth. I took my flesh hand and slid it over his shaft where my mouth wasn't reaching just yet. I tried to give as much suction as I could and it seemed like I was doing it right. His hips started to rock with my bobbing and he eventually gripped the back of my head and held it as he slowly thrust himself in. "Oh, Anakin…"

He slowly made me take more of him in. He would never force me to take the entire length, but I was willing to for him. I slid my mechanical hand between his legs and slid one finger along the raised lines of his sac, receiving a louder moan as my name spilled from his lips again. My flesh fingers stayed on his shaft, alternating between rubbing and squeezing ever so delicately. My tongue swirled around his warm, hard skin as he continued rocking back and forth, holding me still and I sucked on his skin as best I could. He was very hard and I could feel that he was getting close to his release. He kept moaning and groaning my name and I knew it was only a matter of time before he would come, and before I would need to breathe. I'd managed to swallow around his hardness a few times already, but it was getting increasingly difficult as he got faster.

After a few more thrusts, he kept going deeper. I could force myself to ignore my gag reflex if it came to that, but I was kind of hoping it wouldn't. Unfortunately, it did. His head slammed into the back of my throat and I gagged, shutting my eyes as they began to water. He didn't seem to notice at first, but that was because he was so caught up in his ecstasy.

He all but screamed my name as he came, his warm, sticky seed drifting from his head and down my throat as I swallowed. I made sure I sucked every last bit of it out of him before opening my mouth to take in all the breath I'd been avoiding for the entirety of his blowjob. I smiled up at him and licked around my lips. He pulled his underwear and sleeping pants up before kneeling in front of me, gently tugging at my chin until we were kissing. I felt his appreciation, his love, his intense love for me. My own aching arousal was practically forgotten as my overwhelming satisfaction of pleasing him took over. My eyes shut as we continued our warm kiss. His tongue rubbed against my lower lip until I parted them and allowed him access, which he gratefully took.

When we parted, he slid his fingers through my hair and smiled warmly at me. "I love you," was the only thing I could say right this moment. I wanted to tell him that that was amazing, that I enjoyed it, and that I wanted to do it again, but he seemed to get all of that out of me just in those three words.

I could still taste his stickiness in my mouth and I actually liked it. "I never knew your mouth was so warm," he teased. We both laughed quietly and he sat down, holding his arms out for me. I leaned against him, resting my head on his chest. I closed my eyes once again as his arms wound around me protectively. I felt safe in his arms when I was a Padawan and I still felt just as safe now that I was a Knight. "I love you very much, my sweet Anakin." His voice wasn't solely full of love. It sounded reverent and it made me very happy to hear him say my name as he did.

The moonlight washed over us and his skin was illuminated into a delicate pale coloring. It made him look even more immaculate than I thought he was. He said _I _was the beautiful one, but nothing could match his beauty in my eyes. I smiled up at him as he stroked my hair out of my face. His chest was slick with sweat and it enhanced the moon's dance on his skin. Nothing in this galaxy would ever be more beautiful than Obi-Wan Kenobi. _Nothing._


	8. Chapter 8

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I nuzzled my face into Obi-Wan's warm chest and smiled. I felt his hand on my back, and it was perfect. I don't know how long we laid like this together, but it was _perfect._ Eventually, the sounds of Beru making her morning tea and breakfast brought me to the conclusion that it was time to get up. However, I didn't feel like moving off of my former Master, now lover. He went back to sleep at some point between coming back to bed and now.

I heard Ahsoka shift in her bed and my eyes sprang open. I scooted off of Obi-Wan carefully and as quietly as I possibly could. I made some moaning noises as I shifted to face the wall. Obi-Wan's hand slid beneath the blanket and rested on my lower back. _Fuck._ I woke him when I moved. "Good morning, Master," Ahsoka said lazily. I sighed and rolled onto my back, glancing at her even though Obi-Wan's beautiful eyes were barely open and locked on me.

"Good morning, Snips." I met his eyes now and smiled at him. "Master," I said with a nod.

"Padawan," he teased. Ahsoka watched us and, when I looked up at her, her eye markings were raised suspiciously. Obi-Wan either didn't notice her look or he just didn't care about it, but I did. If she found out about us, I wasn't sure how she would react. Ahsoka isn't a naïve child. She never has been while my apprentice. She's talented…and sometimes too smart for my liking. Everything I did raised suspicion in those blue eyes of hers. "Shall we get on with our mission?" Obi-Wan asked, sitting up, stretching slightly.

"Not before I eat something," Ahsoka muttered, leaving the room. As soon as her back was turned, I'd leaned closer to Obi-Wan's bare back and kissed between his shoulder blades.

I knew he was smiling without him having to look at me. I leaned back as he turned. He looked at me in awe and I only assumed I was reciprocating that awed look. He inclined towards me and our lips pressed together silently. It was pure reflex that my eyes closed every single time he kissed me and I knew he liked it too. "Good morning, my beautiful Knight," he whispered, cupping my cheeks with both hands. He kissed my forehead before slipping over the side of the bed, dressing himself in his normal Jedi attire. I watched him, my heart very satisfied with the fact that he was _mine._ Jedi do not have possessions. _I _do. He turned to look at me again and laughed lightly. "You're adorable when you stare."

I chuckled and pushed myself off of the bed, standing in front of him. I held his hips and stared into his eyes. He stroked my hair and wound an arm around my waist, holding me to him. "I only stare at you, my Master." He smirked. "My love," I added before kissing him quickly. It was a simple peck, but enough for the two of us right now. He rubbed over my chest, his warm fingers enjoying my own warm skin.

He grabbed my tunic and handed it to me. I pulled it on and was wrapping it all together with my belt, only to have him do it for me. He slid a hand into the folds of my tunic and, again, rubbed my chest. His other hand went to my face and stroked my cheekbone. "You're so warm." I was about to add something to that, until Ahsoka cleared her throat in the doorway. We both coughed and separated. I raised an eyebrow at her, hoping to all hell that she hadn't heard or seen most of that.

"What's going on with you two lately? You're so touchy-feely and sharing beds all the time." _Fuck, fuck, fuck._ This was _not _good. I could feel my face heating up and sweat beginning to form, that is, until Obi-Wan laughed quietly and shook his head.

"There's nothing going on between your Master and me, Ahsoka." He said it so matter-of-factly that I _almost _believed him. "Anakin and I have been close for many years. We've gotten used to one another's company, even when it's as close as it has been." He made it seem like us sleeping in the same bed was a natural occurrence. I could just hear him going on about his _certain point of view._ "Now, shall we eat breakfast and go see Jabba?"

I was the first to leave the room. Ahsoka's eyes were burning holes in the back of my head as I helped Beru set up the kitchen table. She did things as my mother had for meals, so I knew what to do. She hadn't expected me to help without her asking, and she was certainly shocked by how quick and accurate my table setting appeared to be. Hell, I even knew how to fold the napkin just the way my mother did and that had looked so complex when I was a boy. I looked up at Beru as she stood behind a chair, smiling widely at me. "Did you learn that from your mother?" I smiled sheepishly and nodded. "You're very cultured, Anakin, and I appreciate the help. Your step-brother doesn't set the tables as well as you just did."

"Mom taught me a lot of things," I whispered. She gave me a knowing look. Beru had been around my mom for a decent amount of time prior to her death, so I could only assume she knew what I was talking about. I didn't realize how hard I was gripping the back of the chair in front of me until her small hands rested on mine and her worried eyes met mine.

"I know you miss her, Anakin. We all do, but you were much closer than any of us could have hoped to be to her." I smiled appreciatively and she took my hand, nodding for me to follow her. She led me out of the hut and I felt Obi-Wan's eyes on me now. I could sense the slight jealousy in him until he locked that away inside of his barrier. Damn him and that barrier. I'd been letting him see into me more than I had in years and he couldn't do that himself…

Beru led me to my mother's grave and I couldn't help but freeze at the sight. Since coming here, I had promised myself I would stay away from her burial site, but I knew it would be inevitable. It felt as though it were just yesterday when I had slaughtered an entire camp of Tusken Raiders, when I carried my mom's limp body in my arms, when I'd buried her right here… My heart was clenching as it always did on the anniversary of her death. That day wasn't today, but…just seeing the tombstone with her name on it brought tears to my eyes that I couldn't hide.

I let the tears fall freely, knowing there was no way I could possibly stop them at this point unless I hardened myself beyond comprehension and became as emotionless as a stone. I felt arms wrap around me and I looked down, thinking it was Beru, but I was met by Obi-Wan's loving and worried face. It didn't seem like he cared about how he was holding me right now, and I didn't care either. I held his hand that had been placed over my heart and I forced a smile, rubbing his knuckles gently. "I miss her," I whispered. I could hear myself breaking and so could he. I haven't come here since burying her, and I'd hoped that I would never have to come here again. It wasn't the Jedi way to mourn because the ones we lost would become one with the Force, which was natural, but I couldn't help it. I have never been able to help it and Obi-Wan knew that.

From the moment we returned to Coruscant after the beginning of the war, he knew I couldn't handle my emotional pain. He didn't know just then that I'd done horrible things and that I'd lost the person I'd cared most about. I breathed in shakily, my body trembling as the tears began to come faster. "Ani, I'm here," he said soothingly. That was the first time he'd called me _Ani_. It had always been Padawan or Anakin, never _Ani._ "I'm never leaving your side. I will help you through your pain. I promise." The sincerity in that beautiful voice broke me.

I crashed down onto my knees, my flesh hand fisting at the sand, my right arm wrapped around Obi-Wan's waist, my head against his chest. He stroked my hair and held me close. I felt just as pathetic as I had when we'd had our previous mission here a month ago. I was furious with myself for losing control, but his hands soothed me as they stroked along my spine and my hair.

After several frustrating minutes, I calmed down and my crying was reduced to sniffling and rubbing my eyes raw. I glanced to the side to see him mirroring my position. He was on his knees, though his hands were on me. "I'm s-"

"No," he interrupted. He nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck and tickled my skin with his eyelashes and beard. I smiled weakly and his lips pressed against my throat as he moved beneath my chin. "I love you. I don't care how composed or not you are, Ani. You are my lover." I nodded and he hugged me to him. "Are you hungry, Anakin?"

He helped me up, keeping me against his chest. I wrapped my arms around him and smiled, listening to his heart, my favorite thing to do when I was this close to him. "Not anymore," I said quietly. I pulled back to look down at his face and he lifted his hands to wipe away the wetness around my eyes. He smiled once I was tear-free. "Thank you, again, Obi-Wan."

He stroked my hair. "I love you, my beautiful Jedi Knight." I could feel…_satisfaction_, but it was _not _coming from Obi-Wan. _Oh, fuck._ I stumbled away from Obi-Wan, swinging around to see Beru watching us with awed eyes, the satisfaction emanating from _her._

"This isn't what you-"

"Yes, it is, Anakin," she whispered, smiling widely. "Don't hide your love." I stood up and Obi-Wan stood up beside me, his hand resting on my back. His hand relaxed my tense muscles and _I _relaxed moments after that. She stepped closer to me and hugged me gently. My eyes widened as I looked at Obi-Wan.

"_Perhaps she sees you as her brother as Owen does,_" he whispered to me through our slight bond. It needed some work and it wasn't quite finished, but it served our purposes for the moment. I returned her hug and nodded at Obi-Wan. Maybe he was right. Owen and Beru were…practically the only family I had left, even if they weren't family by blood. "_This is exactly what you need._"

"_You _are exactly what I need," I said back to him. We parted and she moved to hug Obi-Wan, to which I chuckled quietly. He looked just as stunned as I had been when she hugged me. Obi-Wan wasn't all that interested in physical affection, at least until we'd gotten together. When I was younger, he would hold me at night, but it was never as affectionate as it was now. The way he held me was purely of a loving nature. Before, it had been protection, nothing more, but it was now protection and love.

Ahsoka came up from the hut and watched Beru and Obi-Wan with a raised eye marking. I smirked at her and she came closer to me. "Is Master Kenobi okay?" I snickered quietly and nodded. "Are _you _okay, Master?" I looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. "Hey, you're the one who's been acting strange. I just want to make sure you're all right."

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her against my side gently. "I'm just fine, Snips. Don't worry." Obi-Wan came towards us as Beru finally let him go and we agreed that we should probably head to Jabba's palace now… We were allowed to borrow Owen's landspeeder in order to make it there since our ship was still damaged. I'd fix it when we came back. We'd go see Jabba, fix things there, go into the market, buy parts for the ship, and then head back out.

Ahsoka sat beside me in the landspeeder and lazily looked around at the sand as we crossed the Dune Sea. "I can see why you hate the planet," she whispered. I looked over at her for a moment, wondering where that came from. Obi-Wan was just as confused as I was. "Tatooine is very painful for you, Master," she continued, turning towards me. "I'm sorry about your mother."

I ground my teeth together, not wanting to discuss this with her. It had been Obi-Wan who opened my past up to her months ago. That never meant I wanted to dive into it with her, however. I briefly mentioned a few things about my mother and slavery, but it was never anything with depth. Obi-Wan knew everything about me and he'd promised me that that was how it would stay. "It's okay," I said after some time. Ahsoka told me things about her parents after we'd returned from Kadavo. She was hoping I would open up to her, but I didn't do that. I knew how much of a wreck I'd become if I talked about it. _Obi-Wan _knew and he had unfortunately seen it as well. "We're here." I stopped outside of the palace and Jabba's Gamorrean guards grunted at us.

Obi-Wan greeted them as we all got out of the speeder. He would be the negotiator that he's always been and Ahsoka and I would just make sure nothing got out of hand. We hadn't been assigned to this mission until I brought it up with the Council that he may be in danger since our ties with the Hutts were slowly shifting towards either neutrality or the Separatists, neither of which we wanted. The guards grunted again as they let us enter the palace. I walked alongside Obi-Wan, watching him carefully. Ahsoka trailed behind us and I could feel her suspicion rising.

I tore my eyes from his gorgeous face as we entered Jabba's throne room. He had a _new _slave girl attached to him and it made me _sick._ That alone was the reason I had always been thankful to have been born a male. Yes, we could still certainly become pleasure slaves, but we weren't used for show as much as females were. The only thing that made me feel even sicker was the fact that he had a Togruta chained up. I kept myself close to Ahsoka, knowing full well that these bastards would mess with her if I strayed from her side. "Master," she said painfully as we stood in the doorway. Obi-Wan moved towards the center and spoke to Jabba. As much as I wanted to pay attention to him, Ahsoka was my first concern right now. "I thought they only enslaved Twi'leks and humans here," she whispered.

I shook my head and looked down at her. "No. They have _many _slaves of different species, Ahsoka." She shuddered and I could almost see her asking me why they needed slaves here when they already had so much power. It had been something she'd asked me after our first visitation to Tatooine together. I hadn't given her an answer then and I wouldn't answer her now either.

I jumped as I felt hands on my ass. I turned around quickly to see an older looking man, eyeing me adoringly. "Such a pretty boy," he muttered. Ahsoka's hands flew to her lightsaber hilts and I had to look at her in such a way that made her stop. "I feel like I've met you before."

"You must be mistaken then," I said quickly, glancing over at Obi-Wan to make sure he was still all right, which he was. I used the Force to slide Ahsoka behind me to keep her away from whoever this man was. It bothered me that _he _was attracted to me. I wasn't a Force damned slave anymore, so he could go fuck himself if he thought I would turn myself into one again.

He tried to grab my jaw and I swatted his hand away with my mechno, glaring. "Temperamental," he said, his tongue clicking. "Feisty, young, and pretty." He chuckled and I grew disgusted, wanting so desperately to pull my own lightsaber into my hand and show him how _feisty _I could really be. I chose to ignore him and turned to face Obi-Wan. He was very flustered right now and I chose to listen more intently to the conversation.

"Jabba, the Republic will gladly aid you in warding off this threat. All you needed to do was send a transmission and we would have sent our very best to assist you." Jabba was _afraid _of something else? That in itself made me laugh under my breath. "_Keep his hands off of you, Anakin_," he hissed through our bond. I straightened up as he glanced over his shoulder only for a split second. I felt his jealousy through our bond. Even though his shields were up and at their strongest, our bond allowed me to sense his emotions without trying very hard.

Their conversation continued and I felt something odd in the palace. It felt dark, yet not at the same time. I looked at Ahsoka and she looked up at me simultaneously. I knew she could sense it too. "Stay here and keep an eye on Obi-Wan," I whispered. She looked like she wanted to argue, but gave in and nodded. She moved closer to Obi-Wan and I was thankful for that. He would protect her in my brief absence. I knew he would.

I wandered out of Jabba's throne room and crept through the halls silently. Subtlety had never been one of my strong points, but it worked when I needed it to. The darkness vanished very quickly and I cocked an eyebrow. What the _hell?_ Darkness doesn't just _vanish _into thin air like that. I turned down another hall and was met with a spiral staircase. I shrugged and decided to head back to the throne room to protect my Padawan and my Obi-Wan. I turned around to head back and was met by the man from the throne room. "Night night, pretty boy." Something slipped down from the stairwell behind me and I was electrocuted. I cried out and tried to fight back, my hand reaching for my saber. Unfortunately, the electricity flowing through me was intensified and I didn't have the chance to attempt an escape. Everything in my vision blurred and then darkened.


	9. Chapter 9

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

Our negotiations with Jabba ended considerably well. I had to contact the Council and have them send a fleet to Nal Hutta where a new gang of Hutts resided and threatened our alliance with them. Throughout the conversation with Jabba, I had lost Anakin's Force signature. It bothered me, but I knew he hadn't left me here. Well, I knew he wouldn't leave regardless. I turned and saw Ahsoka standing behind me. _Alone._ Surely Anakin would have come back from wherever he'd recklessly gone off to by now. "Where did Anakin go?" I inquired, looking at his young Padawan. She had to have known where he was going.

She shrugged, worry in her eyes. "I don't know where he is, but I can't sense him, Master Kenobi." She bit her lip and looked back at the palace. "We felt something odd and he went looking for it. He told me to stay with you." I nodded and asked her to lead me in the direction he'd gone, assuming she knew which way he went. She led me down two hallways before I picked up his signature in the halls. I followed its trail, only to find his lightsaber and com-unit on the cold ground. My heart immediately leapt up into my throat. "No," she whispered.

I moved to pick his lightsaber and com up, holding them both tightly in my grip. Anakin did _not _leave intentionally. As I rubbed my thumb along his saber hilt, I sensed distress and pain. He must have at least touched his lightsaber prior to whatever had been done to him. I spun to face Ahsoka. "Who was that man around Anakin in the throne room?"

She trembled at the harshness of my tone. I hadn't intended to be so harsh, but I was _truly _worried about him. Without his lightsaber, he would only be able to wield the Force as his weapon, and I wasn't even sure he was able to do so considering I couldn't sense him right now. "He was c-checking him out, Master."

I felt _cold_ after she said that. That man was looking at my Anakin in a way that only _I _should- Oh, damn. Here I go on my possessive tangent again. I sighed and nodded. "Did he say anything about a name or did he say anything specifically to Anakin?" She told me how the man called Anakin a _pretty boy._ Yes, Anakin was a very beautiful man and he had been called that many times behind his back, but no one _ever _said it to him directly. "Did he look like a slaver?"

She looked horrified as I asked that, but anything was possible on Tatooine. Slavers ran amuck here and I wouldn't be surprised if anyone wanted to take Anakin as their own. I _should _have paid more attention to him. I _should _have kept a closer eye on him. I blamed myself for his capture because I had let him slip away while I was distracted by my conversation with Jabba. She came closer, her eyes _very _sad. "Do you think he enslaved Master Skywalker?"

"I believe it to be a possibility, Ahsoka. Anakin was…once a slave." I realized that other things had happened over the course of his apprenticeship to make that statement a lie, but I wasn't sure how much of this Anakin would want his Padawan to know. Anakin had been captured when he was sixteen and had been…_abused._ Fortunately, he was never penetrated in such a way, but horrible things had been done to him that he never shared with me. The abrasions he'd acquired prior to me rescuing him were…nerve-wracking for sure. He was bruised and scarred. The bruises went away, of course, but some of the scars still remained.

"Master, I don't-" She paused and I looked up at her once again to see her staring over my shoulder, wide-eyed. "That's him, Master Kenobi!" She pointed at a man who looked to be roughly around Count Dooku's age, give or take a few years.

I did not hesitate as I moved towards him and held my lightsaber to his neck. "Whoa! Jedi!" he cried out, looking hysterical as I glared at him. "I didn't do whatever it is that you think I did, I assure you."

"I assure you that you will face dire consequences if I find out you've taken my…_friend._" Friend, yes. That's what I had to call Anakin right now. The man _laughed _in my face, even with my lightsaber to his throat. "Where is he?" I growled, growing angrier than I imagined I could possibly be. Even when I had lectured Anakin over the years, I'd never been _this _angry.

"The pretty boy, I assume?" There was some devious look in those dark eyes of his and I _knew _he must be behind whatever happened to my beloved Knight. "He's gone. I don't know where he's gone _to_, however. You damn Jedi, _release _me."

"Tell me where he is!" I yelled, pressing my lightsaber ever so slightly against his throat. He cowered beneath the death grip I had on him and his boldness was now reduced to fear. I wanted Anakin back and I would not play games in order to get him. I wanted him before any harm came to him. I had been too late before. I _refused _to be too late this time.

"I'm telling you I have no idea where your _precious _boy is, _Jedi_," he sneered. Ahsoka's hand rested on my shoulder and I knew that was a sign she gave Anakin when she knew he was losing control. I deactivated my lightsaber and let him go. I glanced over at Ahsoka and nodded her in thanks. "He's got a pretty face and a beautiful body," he said, laughing.

Indeed, Anakin did. I was tempted to spit on this pathetic life form. Anakin certainly would have. "Come, Ahsoka," I said quietly, turning on my heel to head out of the palace. Anakin was not in the palace, nor was he on the planet, I'm sure, but we needed to formulate some kind of plan to rescue him. I would _not _let him become a toy as he had become before. I would not allow Anakin to be traumatized once again by his life as a slave.

We got back to the landspeeder and Ahsoka chose to drive it, so I hopped into the passenger side and she drove us back to Owen and Beru's home. Beru came up to greet us, only to falter as she realized Anakin was missing. "Where is he?" she whispered as I leapt from the landspeeder.

I frowned at her and shook my head. "I have no clue as to where he's gone, but I strongly believe he was captured by a slaver." She looked horrified and immediately called for Owen, who, in turn, ran up from the sublevel home and asked what was wrong.

"Your brother was captured," Beru said hastily. "Obi-Wan doesn't know who took him or where he was taken, but he said it may have been a slaver." Owen looked at me and nodded, asking if I knew what the slaver looked like. I called Ahsoka over and informed her that she needed to give Owen all the information she could on Anakin's possible captor. Beru watched me with saddened eyes and she took my hand gently. "We will find him. I promise."

I sighed heavily, worrying very deeply. "I fear for him," I said quietly. She could still hear me and she nodded. "I know it is against our Order, but I _love _him. I have loved him for quite some time and I have failed and betrayed him one too many times. I _don't _want to fail him again."

I felt a tremor in the Force and I tried to focus on it. It felt like something was…_ripping _through the Force. That was followed up by said tremor _ripping _through the bond between Anakin and me. "_Obi-Wan!_" surged through my shields and echoed repeatedly.

"Anakin," I pleaded aloud and in my mind. "Anakin, where are you?" He was in agony and he was _afraid._ It took a lot to make him fear as he was right now. "Ani, please, tell me where you are." I could feel that he was struggling to hold onto our connection. It was draining him, but I needed him to at least give me a clue as to where he was right now.

"_Slavers…Outer Rim…Obi-Wan, please…_" He was begging me to help him and now it was confirmed that slavers had indeed taken him. I tried to soothe him through our bond, but it wasn't helping very much. It was hardly doing anything for him. I felt a shuddering pain slide down my spine and I cried out as I felt whips crack down on my back. They were hurting him. Those Force damned bastards were _hurting _my Anakin.

"I love you, Anakin. I _will _come for you. I _promise._" No, I couldn't just promise him that. I had promised him last time that I would come for him and save him before he was hurt too horribly and I had _failed._ "I _swear _to you I will come for you, my sweet Ani."

"_I-_" Again, he was struggling. He wanted so desperately to hold onto the bond with me. I could feel him wanting to stay with me. He was afraid of losing me entirely as he feared he had when he was captured as a teenager. "_I love you_." He tried to shove his pain aside and focus on me. He tried to feel how I felt so he could ignore his pain and his emotions.

"I won't let you down, Anakin. Not again." I could hear him suffering through our bond and I knew he was fighting back. It wasn't in Anakin's nature to become submissive. As my Padawan, he was solely afraid and _had _lowered himself so he wouldn't take as much of a beating as he would've had he fought. Now that he was older and slightly more experienced, I expected him to put up a fight.

"_Don't forget how much I love you, Obi_," he said hurriedly. That worried me, even more so as our bond was severed. It was not severed by him, however. It was sealed shut with no way of reopening it at this particular moment in time as a result of, more than likely, Force suppressers. Whoever had him knew he was a Jedi and knew how to contain him as such.

I lapsed back into reality and looked down at Beru. "He's hurting, but he's alive," I said solemnly. I wasn't entirely sure if his being alive was a good thing right now. I didn't want him dead. _Never _would I wish for him to die, but I didn't want him to suffer either. Ahsoka came up from their home with tears in her eyes. She must have felt him as well. "Did you sense him?" I asked, whispering.

She nodded and rubbed her eyes. "He didn't reply to me through our training bond and I'm worried." I frowned. I couldn't tell her that Anakin had spoken with me because her suspicions of the relationship between Anakin and me would heighten once again. If it came down to it, however, I would tell Ahsoka that the two of us are in love and have bonded. If it meant we could save him, so be it. He could yell at me as he had done once we'd returned from Naboo after my deceptive mission. That was one of the first moments that led to where we are right now.

His pain, his suffering, has always been my weakness. I hated when he hurt, when someone or something hurt him, and I wanted to be his safety net. He was angry with me for keeping him in the dark on that specific mission, but he had crawled into bed with me, crying angry and hateful tears until he fell asleep. The next morning had been awkward, for him at least. He apologized for sleeping in my bed, but he hadn't left either.

He and I still had to work on our relationship since he'd lost trust in me. I knew he trusted me again, but I wanted to prove to him that I would never lie to him or hurt him as I had _ever _again. I knew faking my death would hurt him, but I couldn't have imagined how hurt he would be upon learning that I was still alive and that I was disguised as the bounty hunter who had supposedly killed me. That was the first and only time he intentionally hit me as _Obi-Wan _instead of _Rako Hardeen._ He called me a deceitful, traitorous bastard and told me he could never trust me again. Had I known that that was only the beginning to him wanting to be _with _me, I would have found a way to let him in on the secretive nature of my mission.

"He's strong," I whispered finally. "He'll hold on for as long as he can. We just have to make sure we get there before he loses all sense of hope." She nodded and looked at me with the same spark of hope in her eyes that I had seen in Anakin's numerous times. The love of my life was hoping his loving Master would save him before he was hurt to the point where he would close himself upon being rescued again.

It took nearly two months to even have him tell me some of what had been done to him. Anakin has never been one to hold things in, but he had held as much of the details of his capture in as he could. It hurt him more to close himself off, but he willed himself to suffer so no one else would suffer with him or _pity _him. "Has something like this happened before?" I focused on Ahsoka and saw her curiosity and pain. "Has he been taken like this?"

I wanted to tell her that he had, that he'd suffered, and that I'd failed him, but I wasn't sure that Anakin wanted her in on it. Only the Masters of the Council, Anakin, and I knew that he had been taken by slavers when he was a teen. "Ahsoka, his personal stories are not mine to share."

She let it go at that and I was thankful for it. Owen called us down into his home and we were able to use his holoprojector to contact the Council. "_New information, you have, Master Kenobi?_"

I nodded sadly. "Anakin has been captured by slavers." Only Mace and Yoda were in the room as far as I could see. They both looked equally disturbed. "I don't know who has him or where he is," I whispered.

Yoda looked _very _unhappy with this. "_Hm_," he began. "_Troubling, this is. Trembling in the Force, young Skywalker is._" As if that _hadn't_ been evident before. I knew Anakin's emotions were rolling like ocean waves crashing against the shore prior to him closing off, whether it was forcefully or done on his own accord. "_Find him, we must._"

"That is why I have contacted you. Anakin…" I looked at Ahsoka and frowned. I had to tell them that he'd contacted me, but I could only say that it had been done through the _Force_, not a bond. "Anakin spoke to me by means of the Force. He is already in pain. I fear that they may do far worse to him this time."

I grew sick as I said it. He was older now and I'm sure slavers would find it amusing and more pleasing to have a pleasure slave react in a sexual manner that they expected. He wasn't that scared, little boy anymore. Anakin was now a Jedi Knight and General of the Grand Army of the Republic. The slaver or slavers who had taken him would use him for their entertainment if we didn't hurry. "_Disturbing, this is._" He shifted his gimmer stick in his hands and nodded. "_Finding Skywalker, your next mission is. Padawan Tano, go with Master Kenobi, you will. Transmit, I will, a list of slave planets._"

While we conversed with the Council, Owen went into the market to find the parts we needed to fix the ship. Fortunately, Anakin taught Ahsoka everything he knew about power convertors and such. I couldn't entirely understand their technical language as they bantered on about engines and various other parts of a ship. This was the same ship we had used when we'd been pulled into Mortis, so Ahsoka knew how to fix it up without a problem.

Owen brought our parts back and I promised I would pay him back every last credit he'd spent as soon as I returned to Coruscant. Ahsoka took the parts from him and began to fix what needed repairing. I looked at the listing of planets known to allow slavery. Tatooine was one, but Anakin wasn't here, so that was one to cross off. Balun, a neutral planet, was known for its industrial slavery. It was very rare that a slave was used for pleasure there, so it may be a starting point. There were plenty of planets to go to and I wasn't sure where to start. Balun seemed to be a good choice, but that would be followed up by Thandra, Reanu, and several others.

My back still stung from the opening we had in our bond earlier. It felt like my back was bleeding and throbbing, but I knew it wasn't. The pain was superficial. I sat down in the pilot's seat and rubbed the armrest slowly. It had Anakin's signature all over it. I smiled as I traced where his elbow would sit. "Master," Ahsoka said, announcing her reentrance. "I've thanked Owen and Beru for their hospitality and they wish us luck." I nodded and she sat beside me in the co-pilot's seat. "I hope he's okay, Master Kenobi."

I rested my hands on the controls and sighed. The ship was repaired and fully functional, so we could now be on our way to find my lover. I worried about him. I worried about what might happen to him. I couldn't bear seeing my Anakin so broken… "So do I, Ahsoka. So do I."


	10. Chapter 10

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I kept blacking out. I wasn't sure what was causing it, but it felt like my body was giving in to the pain the slavers were dealing. I was without the Force and I was chained like an animal in a cage. This brought back memories of my harsh capture just a few years ago. I hadn't known any better then, and it certainly seemed like I _still _didn't know better. I wandered off on my own, knowing that there were plenty of reasons and shady figures to _not _go off alone. I felt like a damn fool and I bet Ahsoka and Obi-Wan thought I was a damn fool as well. Knowing the Council, they'd probably send them after me. I _couldn't _allow that to happen. I know I begged Obi-Wan to save me, but that was because I was _desperate. _I couldn't possibly allow him to jeopardize himself or Ahsoka.

This room was _freezing_. I'd lost a good portion of my clothes at some point since my capture. My tunic had been stripped, my belt and lightsaber missing, and all I had left on me were my boots and my tattered pants. The coolness of this damp room made me shiver. I hoped I would die as a result of hypothermia before anyone had the chance to use me. The door across the room began to unlock and my heart sank. I wouldn't give in. I would stay as strong and defiant as I possibly could. That was only in my nature.

A tall, heavy man came into the room, blinding me. I hated being left in the darkness and seeing the light as of right now wasn't much of a relief. I don't know how long I've been in this damn place. I didn't know where the hell I was. It felt like we were on a ship of some sort though. The pulsating beneath my cage made that as clear as day. The bastard knelt in front of my cage and slid his hand through the bars to grip my hair roughly and yank me forward, slamming my jaw into the durasteel bars. "Fuck you," I hissed.

This was the same man who had electrocuted me in Jabba's palace. I wasn't sure where the one who flirted with me was, but this guy was _so _much worse. "We have some training to work on with you, you little bastard," he spat, literally. "Your new master won't be pleased with that damn tongue of yours." Indeed. My mouth got me into a _lot _over trouble over the years, whether I'd been talking back to Obi-Wan or blurting angry remarks out in various scenarios of the war. He opened the cage and pulled me out by the chain attached to the collar around my neck.

I, quoting Obi-Wan _wholeheartedly_, had a bad feeling about this. I was weakened and I wasn't sure if it was a result of the Force suppressors or of the constant beatings I'd been given in between black outs. He dragged me out of my darkened room and I stumbled on my feet. It must have been _hours _since I'd stretched and my legs were cramped from the cage being too small for my tall figure. "Is this the boss' new pet?" one of the men we bypassed asked as he looked me over and whistled. _Fucker._

"You bet he is." The whistler came closer to me and gripped my chin, forcing me to look at him. He seemed to be inspecting me and I wasn't sure just how much hell I'd be put through after this. I knew what these slavers wanted and I was _not _willing to please them in any way, shape, or form. They could beat me as much as they liked, but they would never break me enough to submit to them. "He's got a pretty face and a tight ass," the one gripping my chain remarked. "The boss will be very pleased with his toy."

I pulled my face away from the whistler and he backhanded me. "Needs to learn some manners. His pretty looks aren't going to win points, you know." I snarled as blood seeped out of my lower lip. I wished I could be with Obi-Wan right now. He would never hit me or call me _pretty _to make me feel like a sex toy. When Obi-Wan described me, I knew he meant it. He wasn't one to play games and he never did with me. Every word out of his beautiful mouth was the truth, as far as I was concerned. He knew my mannerisms and he knew my personality all too well. He would never force me to change myself for him and he knew damn well that I wouldn't change myself just so I could be with him.

"That's exactly what I'm taking him to my bedchambers for. The little bitch obviously hasn't taken it from any man in his lifetime. He'll need to ease into it. The boss doesn't want a snarky, little shit for a slave." I glared as much as I could, my heart pounding in my chest. I didn't want this. Not from him, not from _any _of them. The whistler chuckled and nodded, waving for us to be on our way. I was forcefully pulled forward and the back of my neck ached. I was tired of this, absolutely tired of this.

Why couldn't I have just _stayed _with Obi-Wan? Why did I have to be curious and wander off? What the hell was my problem? I sighed and, as we approached his bedchambers I presumed, he palmed the door open and pulled me inside. This room was absolutely _disgusting, _even by my standards. My dorm on Coruscant wasn't even half as bad as this. Obi-Wan would have a stroke if he saw this room. "Ugh," I growled.

He spun to face me and ordered me onto the bed, to which I replied simply by standing my ground in defiance. There was no way in hell I was going to get on that bed. I would rather die before I did that. Unfortunately, he used his brute strength to grip my forearms and shove me onto my back. I would've fought back had my ankles not been shackled. It was hard enough to make simple steps. Trying to fight him off would be a waste of energy that I needed to conserve in order to make an escape when the time was right.

I was forced onto my stomach and he undid the Force suppressors for all of maybe half a second to pull my wrists behind my back and put them back on. "You're going to be my little bitch tonight, kid," he whispered, laughing quietly. Ugh, the smell of this Force damned bed was just as disgusting as the room appeared. It smelled of sex, drugs, and alcohol. Normally, that'd be okay with me, if it weren't so damn prevalent.

I heard him shedding his clothes and my stomach began to churn. I screamed Obi-Wan's name over and over in my head, knowing that, despite my efforts, I wouldn't be able to reach through the Force and contact him right now. My pants were dragged down harshly and I writhed, much to my detriment. In fact, my squirming about pleased the bastard even more. He moaned before rubbing along my spine, sending a chill through me. "Don't touch me," I hissed. There wasn't much I could do and I wasn't much of a threat right now, especially in this position and situation. He was much stronger and larger than I was and I wouldn't be able to take him on while I was bound.

"Your threats are empty," he chided. "What I'm doing right now will save you from the pain you'll endure when your master has you all to himself." All of my skin was exposed to the cool air in the room and I didn't like it. For as much as I bitched about hating Tatooine, I would rather be there where it's warm than on this freezer of a ship. He shifted my arms and held them where he wanted them positioned. I groaned as my muscles began to cramp.

He was jerking off right now. I could hear the sounds he made as he slid his hand up and down his shaft and I was thankful that I was on my stomach and facing away from him so I didn't have to watch. Within a minute, the bed dipped slightly, he hovered over my lower half, and shoved himself into me. I nearly screamed.

There had been _no _warning whatsoever and I was far from being lubricated enough for it _not _to hurt. Tears welled up in my eyes and my teeth ground together. His hands latched onto my hips as he thrust, moaning and groaning as I cried out. I tried to do what Obi-Wan would want me to do, something he'd taught me while I was his Padawan. He taught me how to step out of my body and not feel the pain I was in, but that was damn near impossible seeing as though I was being impaled by a slaver who didn't have the decency to put some fucking lube on either of us.

I wished I could be anywhere but here. Right here, I wanted my life to end. I wouldn't care if a Republic ship came by and blew us to bits. At least I wouldn't have to deal with these bastards anymore. I screamed, though I tried my hardest not to, when he pulled out and thrust back in as hard and fast as he could. The pace quickened from that point on and the bed was shaking with each thrust. He gripped my hair and told me to call him '_master._' "In your fucking dreams!" I said, trying my best to laugh as I would have done had his face been in front of mine.

He pounded into me and I ground my teeth as hard as I could to keep from crying out. He was hitting my prostate as hard as he could and his fingernails were digging into my back where I already had enough scars from my last encounter with slavers. I couldn't keep track of how long this had been going on, but it felt like an eternity. I was close to coming, but I knew he wouldn't let me. It was frowned upon and punishable if slaves ejaculated while being fucked.

The only fortunate thing that came out of this was that he ejaculated first. His seed rushed into me and it felt like fire was coursing through me. I was pissed off as he thrust a few more times. He was thoroughly satisfied when he stopped coming and pulled out of me. I breathed heavily, my body shaking. "A tight, hot ass," he whispered as he leaned over me, breathing on my neck. "My boss will be _very _happy with this."

I wished I'd been able to leave my body for the duration of that, but I had never actually achieved it though Obi-Wan pretty much embedded it into my brain so I could never forget it. He taught me that after he'd rescued me from slavers when I was sixteen. Yet here I am, six years later, and I _still _can't do it. I swallowed back the bile that was rising in my throat. I was nauseated right now. My ass was in so much pain and I felt like my heart was going to burst through my chest and sprint down the hall just to get the hell out of here. I laid there, breathing heavily into the disgusting bedspread beneath me.

My hair was once again gripped and I was pulled back to stand up. My legs shook and I felt like they would give out. He came around to my front and looked at me, almost as if he was making sure I was still unscathed. Well, as unscathed as I could possibly be. What more could he want from me right this moment? He was spent. He wouldn't want me for at least a little while longer. There was some light in his eyes and a mischievous grin appeared on his face. "Haven't you played with your superior's bitch enough?" I growled. He shoved me down onto my knees and held his cock in front of my face. "No," I said simply, putting as much hatred as I could into my voice. I'd done this for the previous slavers when I was a teen and I'd done this for Obi-Wan. The slavers six years ago never fucked me like this man had. They only had me sucking them off. At least with Obi-Wan I'd felt comfortable enough to enjoy what I was doing. I didn't want any more slaver dicks in my mouth.

He gripped my chin and forced me to look up at his face. He spat on me and I hissed, wishing I could wipe it off of my face. My hands were still behind my back and that infuriated me even more. I could still feel the warmth he'd forced into my ass and I didn't want any more of him on or in me. "You _will _do as I command, bitch." He hit me and I closed my eyes. "Open your mouth, slave." As much as I didn't want to, I _did._ He fisted my hair and the only thing I could think about as he shoved himself in and out of my mouth was Obi-Wan. When I'd done this to Obi-Wan, he hadn't done anything to hurt me. Obi-Wan cared about me. Obi-Wan would take care of me.

Tears slid down my face, not because I was being forced to deepthroat him, but because I missed Obi-Wan. If I wasn't so foolish, I wouldn't be in this situation. I should've either told Ahsoka to come along with me or stayed where I was. Obi-Wan was my priority and look where I got myself. I was now a plaything for a bunch of good for nothing slavers. At least Obi-Wan and Ahsoka were safe. I prayed to whatever greater being there was out there that they wouldn't come for me. I didn't want Obi-Wan or Ahsoka to be forced into this as well. I'd lived in slavery for nearly a decade as a child and I'd been forced to be an oral sex slave for nearly three months. I knew how it felt to be tortured and sexually assaulted. I would _never _want them to go through that. Ahsoka, for one, was far too young for this. She was too innocent, even as she fought alongside me in the war.

Ahsoka was my Padawan. I, as her guardian, was meant to protect her as well as teach her. Obi-Wan was my guardian for the second decade of my life and he felt like he'd failed me. It took a long time to get over that bump in our relationship. There was always some bump to us. It went back and forth between us, so it wasn't like we could solely blame it on either one of us.

After he'd rescued me, he'd held me so tightly. He personally saw to my wounds and he soothed me with delicate touches and soft, loving whispers. Perhaps I should have been more aware of what his true intent was during all of that. My Master wasn't _just _my Master as he cared for me. He was more than that. Had I been able to realize it then, I would have seen how much he truly loved me. Things between him and I were…strained, for lack of a better word, for almost six months after that incident. He kept going on about how he could never forgive himself, about how _I _could never forgive him.

When he held me on his small ship, where we were the only passengers aboard it, I didn't have any resentful feelings for _him._ I was blinded in gratitude that he'd actually come for me. Obi-Wan has never been the aggressive type, but he was an _entirely _different person as he went planet side and tracked me down. He killed every last slaver who was in the vicinity of that building. I'd never seen him so angered, so hateful. I never would have thought he was even capable of such feelings.

I was drawn back to reality as the bastard released himself into my mouth this time. I'd done a pretty decent job at steering my mind away from what was being done to me and I'd only returned at the end. Before I could spit his come out at his feet, he placed one hand on the back of my head, the other over my mouth, and ordered me to swallow. I did so, disgusted beyond words.

I swore to myself that I would kill him as soon as I was free. Well, assuming I would ever be free again, that is. I mentally backhanded myself. _Stop being so pessimistic, Anakin._ Obi-Wan would come for me. As much as I didn't want him to put himself in danger, he would come for me. As my Master, it had been his duty to seek out his student. As my lover, he wouldn't rest until I was in his arms again. That much was certain. I knew him too well. Though he'd scolded me about attachments through all of my apprenticeship, he himself was far too attached to me. He was just as attached to me as I was to him.

If our positions were reversed, I would go to the ends of the galaxy and back until I found him, until I _knew _he was safe and safe with _me._ He knew I would do that for him without a doubt, and I knew he'd do the same for me. As I was forced to stand once again and dragged back to my cold, dismal room to my cold, dismal cage, I felt hopeful. My Obi-Wan would free me again.


	11. Chapter 11

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I watched Master Kenobi closely as we went from planet to planet, searching for some clue as to where my Master had been taken. Master Skywalker has always been the reckless type, but I never imagined him being taken forcibly. It hurt to watch Master Kenobi. He was so angry, so panicked. He wanted Anakin back and he wanted him back now. I had the feeling that there was something much deeper than just a former apprentice and Master relationship, but I didn't pry. I knew how compassionate Anakin was. I also knew how easily he formed attachments. Maybe he was rubbing off on Master Kenobi finally.

We were now sitting on our ship once again and he was glaring down at the holomap before him, his eyes tired and weary. It's been nearly two months since we, or rather he, heard from Anakin. He was frustrated with the Council for not sending more Jedi out as a search party, but he was more distraught by the fact that everywhere he went, all he found was dead-ends. "We've been to every damned slave planet in the Outer Rim. Where the hell is he?" he all but screamed. I flinched as he pounded one fist on the dashboard.

"Master," I whispered, fearful. Never had I seen this man lose his composure in such a way. He could joke around or lecture Anakin, but I'd never seen him truly _angry._ He looked over at me, his age shown clearly on his face. He always looked so young to me, but the weariness and exhaustion on his face showed that he was nearly forty years old. "I'm worried about him too. I miss him as much as you do. We won't find him if we stress ourselves or focus our energy on negative emotions."

He sighed and shook his head, looking back at the holomap. "There are things about this situation that you may not understand, Ahsoka," he said quietly. He sounded pained. He didn't know that I already knew what the situation was. Anakin was very handsome and, with the wrong kind of people, that would be used against him. "We need to save Anakin before he loses hope, before his will is shattered."

"Did…" I trailed off, pausing momentarily to collect my thoughts. "Did Master Skywalker suffer horribly when he was captured by slavers before?" I know he told me it wasn't his place to share Anakin's stories, but I was concerned. I wanted to know what I would be facing once we found him.

He nodded and I saw his eyes glaze over until he blinked back the tears that began to form. "He was sixteen," he whispered and my heart leapt into my throat. I was sixteen right now, almost seventeen, and I couldn't imagine how afraid my Master had been in that situation. "It all happened so fast and he was gone before I knew it. I was too late. I was too slow. He was so broken, Ahsoka." He looked at me then. "Have you noticed how haunted his eyes look at times?" I nodded and he continued. "As a child, he was beaten when he disobeyed his master or when he wanted to protect his mother. He, at that age, was prepared to take a beating. At sixteen, he wasn't only beaten. He was used, but not explicitly."

I could only begin to imagine where he was going with this and I chose to interject, knowing that we would eventually broach the subject one way or another. "Was he…raped when he was captured?" My voice sounded a lot more timid than I intended it to be, but I'd never said that word before. I never had a reason to until now.

"No, not entirely. They didn't force sex upon him." I could see the same ghostly look in his eyes that I saw in Anakin's at times. Those repressed memories haunted them both. "They…" He looked unsure of how to put whatever it was he was thinking about. "They made him give them oral, but they never penetrated him otherwise, which I suppose is fortunate." My stomach churned and I felt sick. It wasn't because of what my Master had to do. It was because those monsters hurt him at such an innocent stage in his life. No wonder he was so protective of me.

I nodded and admitted, "I feel terrible and I'm scared. I don't want them to hurt him." I bit my lip and tears welled up in my own eyes now. "I want my Master safe and at home."

He smiled weakly at me and I knew it was more of a sad smile than anything else. "I want him safe too, Ahsoka. Please, for my sake, keep this knowledge to yourself. Anakin is terrified of being looked at differently because of what he was forced into." He stood and came closer to me, resting a hand on my shoulder. "You are very important to him. He doesn't want you to see him as something he truly isn't. He doesn't want you to think he's weak."

I nodded again. Never would I discus that particular event with my Master. That was his business and my knowledge of it hadn't changed my image of him in the slightest. He's been my war hero since the beginning. He would always be the strong, heroic, bold, and courageous man he's been since before I became his apprentice. "He's a lot stronger than he thinks he is. Most people would never be able to put on the face he does or fight as he does after being violated in such a way. The fact that he can still smile and get through the day makes him very strong."

Master Kenobi surged with respect and pride and I smiled up at him. "I'm glad you see it that way, Ahsoka, because that is exactly what I've thought since it happened."

A sudden thought burst into my mind. Perhaps what I had been seeing as some kind of increasing relationship between Master Skywalker and his former Master _wasn't _what I thought it was. "Did you rescue him back then?" I asked, receiving a slight nod. Maybe their closeness was a sign of how secure and safe Anakin was around him. He was saved by this man and I'm sure Master Kenobi was the only person he trusted more than he could express. I noticed that the way Anakin curled into Master Kenobi seemed to make him feel safe and the way Master Kenobi's arms drifted around him in their sleep made it evident that he was trying to protect his former apprentice.

The transmitter between our seats went off and his attention immediately snapped to it and opened the channel. "Kenobi here," he said hurriedly. Masters Windu and Yoda appeared, looking very solemn as they stared at Master Kenobi's holographic image.

"_Obi-Wan, a lead, we may have._" I glanced sideways at Master Kenobi, happy to see a spark of hope flicker in his eyes. "_Near Cartodia Two, you are, hm?_"

"Yes, Master." We were only a short distance from Cartodia Two. Knowing Master Kenobi, we could be there within a matter of hours.

"_A slave trade, there will be. A possibility it is, that young Skywalker is there._" I smiled. Master Kenobi's relief and anxiety were very tangible. Maybe we would finally be able to bring Anakin home. I could only hope that were the case. "_A private transaction, there will be. Far from the trading area, it is not._"

"Ahsoka and I will check on this private transaction first and then we will go to where the trade is taking place." He paused as Master Yoda nodded. "Master, I thought Cartodia Two was a free planet?"

Yoda grunted through the hologram and Master Windu looked uneasy. "_Free it is, Master Kenobi, but host auctions and trades, they do._" Master Windu transmitted the location of where the trade would take place on the planet. He informed us that at least two thousand slavers would be attending, give or take a few hundred. He told us that we would need to disguise ourselves because it was a possibility that we may see someone we've encountered before.

After the Masters finished discussing the plan, Master Kenobi entered the coordinates to the planet and we were on our way, the transmission now shut off. "I hope you aren't going to make me play the part of slave again," I said under my breath. He laughed lightly and I knew that that was exactly what I would be doing.

As soon as we landed, he went into town and found trashy clothes for me to wear as well as a single chain and a collar to place on my neck. He would never activate it because he wasn't as much of an idiot as Master Skywalker had been. He'd allowed the Queen of Zygerria to activate my shock collar and he'd done it himself, forgetting to turn it off before jumping into the fight to save his former Master. He bought himself something plain that wouldn't make him out to be someone of a very high status.

Once we were clothed appropriately, we made our way into the main capital. The private transaction proved to be nothing more than one man selling a pleasure slave to another man. It had disgusted me, but Master Kenobi told me that we were here to free Anakin, not the entire slave population on the planet.

Cartodia Two was full of high class persons and it only made sense for us to look beneath that. He, as a disguised slaver, probably didn't want to make it seem as though he spent his fortune on buying slaves for his needs. He was anxious as we neared the crowd of people around the designated trading area. He scoured the stage at the very front of the crowd, looking through the line of slaves as fast as I was. There was no sign of Anakin just yet.

We decided to wait a little while and see if Anakin came up from the small housing area behind the stage. As the trade began, it appeared as more of an auction. Bids were taken, slaves were sold, happy slavers left with their winnings after making their payments, and the line of slaves just kept moving on and on. Master Kenobi held my chain very loosely. I knew he hated the thought of enslaving someone, even if it were only an act. He held it just to make it appear as though I were off limits because he owned me. I rubbed my wrist nervously, as was my habit, and we waited.

After nearly two hours, Master Kenobi sighed in exasperation. He led me out of the crowd and sat down on a bench with his head in his free hand. "Anakin won't be here. For all we know, he was never here to begin with. This was a lost cause." All of the hope I'd seen in his eyes on our ship was completely gone and it made me sad.

"Master, there are still plenty of slaves. Maybe they're saving the best for last. We both know how feisty Anakin is. He's probably one of the best slaves there is." I hated referring to my Master as a slave. It made me sick. He wasn't property. He was a man.

Master Kenobi's head shot up and he smiled. "Ahsoka, that's probably the most enlightening thing I've heard all day." I gave him a confused look and he continued. "They do not sell the _best _of their slaves. Anakin's personality would make him more desirable." His cheeks went bright red as he said the last part. "During auctions, trades, transactions, and such, the best slaves are taken to a very luxurious building where they can still provide their services. If Anakin _is _here, he will be there."

I smiled and he led me away from the trade entirely. We went into a shop and he subtly stole better, fancier clothes for us both. My outfit was still slave-like, but it was like I was a slave for someone of a higher class, which Master Kenobi dressed himself to look like. We wandered through the capital until we found something that almost looked like a palace. It was a haven for prostitutes and sex slaves.

As we entered, he was told that I couldn't go in with him, much to my dismay. My lightsabers were beneath my skirt right now and I wanted to be there to free my Master. Master Kenobi nodded and ordered me to stay put while he disappeared from my view and entered further into the building. I began to pray that he would find Anakin.

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

I would not lie. My heart was hammering in my chest. If anyone were to come close, they would probably be able to hear it. I searched through each room and carefully as I could, searching for anything that would lead me to Anakin. He _had _to be here. He just had to be here. I stopped outside of a closed door as I heard some…action on the other side. It was two females and I decided to continue. I knew Anakin's voice and all the sounds he could make.

He and I hadn't been physically intimate yet, but I had teased him enough to know his moans, groans, and any other sensuous sounds he could possibly make. I had to play it safe right now though. If I let my emotions and feelings for him blind me, I would never find him. Even if I did, I wasn't sure that we could get him out of here safely.

I heard one man screaming profanities at his slave. He was urging said slave to impale him or herself faster and my stomach lurched. I was revolted to think that people could be so vulgar with an act involving so much intimacy... It disgusted and disappointed me. I wished that all beings of the galaxy shared my views on sex and love making. Sex, whether it be casual or otherwise, should not be used on someone who isn't willing. Of course, I couldn't help if it was.

"Fuck me, you little bitch!" the man screamed, once again drawing my attention towards him. I moved towards the door and heard how badly the slave was being abused. Said slave was being hit continuously and, eventually, thrust from whatever furniture was in the room and onto the floor. I was surprised by how silent the slave was. He or she never made a sound as they were beaten and thrown. This slave was broken beyond repair and that was saddening.

One living being's will was broken by another living being. It was rather unfair and unjust. I sighed and closed my eyes, thinking about what could have been done in the two months that Anakin was missing. I couldn't even begin to imagine how angry and hateful he would be when I found him. I didn't want to think about the bruises, scars, and other injuries he could have right now. The image I conjured in my mind was far worse than when I'd seen him bruised and injured as a teenager.

Now that he was a young man, he would definitely put up a fight, which would get him into more trouble. If his mouth wasn't running, his thoughts and fists certainly were. He would strike as fast as he could and try to make his escape within moments. I wondered if perhaps this attempt to find him was futile. It wasn't because I feared he may not be here. I feared that he may have gotten himself killed, committed the act himself, or he'd been shattered far worse.

"_What happened wasn't your fault, Master._" His small voice whispered in the further part of my mind. I could see his bruised and bloody face as a teenager again and my heart tightened. "_It will never be your fault. Neither of us knew… You couldn't have known._"

"Well, I should have," I whispered aloud, as angry as I'd been then. Anakin's teenage face transformed and his current appearance took its place; stronger, more defined, and beautiful. The scar on his right eye would appear almost minute and invisible in comparison to what else I thought would now be prominent on his skin. Blood would trail in numerous places, cuts would either be sealing or reopened, and he would be very unhappy, a deep frown and sadness haunting him.

I _should _be faster. I should be the one used a slave, not Anakin. He didn't deserve this. He deserved love, care, security. As a slave, he wasn't gifted that. As a pleasure slave, never would he be gifted that. "Please," the slave's voice finally croaked after several more blows.

It was a male and he sounded very hoarse. "Please _what?_" his owner taunted. "Please let you come? _No._" I shuddered. I had a hard time keeping my release in at times when Anakin and I slept in tents together. I knew he took care of his sexual needs on the other side of the tent. He was quiet, but not quiet enough. I couldn't imagine being forced to stop the orgasm, to stop the warmth threatening its way through your body until you're satiated.

"Please," he croaked again. This time, his voice sounded a bit stronger, but not quite strong enough. "Please let me go." _No. No fucking way._ I stared at the door, bewildered. How could I not have noticed sooner? He was struck and he cried out and that was when I _knew _it was him. My sweet Anakin was here.

Again, my heart picked up its pace. I wanted to break the damned door down and burst in, lightsaber blazing, and slaughter the man who claimed Anakin as his sexual property. I had to be rational about this. If I went in there forcefully, Anakin may be killed. I didn't know any details of his bondage or if the man with him had any weapons that would instantly be used to take his life.

Instead, I chose to take the more patient approach, despite my wish to be as impatient as Anakin always was. I knocked on the door.


	12. Chapter 12

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

As I stood outside of the door, my thoughts raced. I could hear the cruel man getting dressed and he threatened Anakin, telling him that if he so much as moved, he would kill him. As soon as the zipper of the man's pants sounded and finished, a large, brute looking human opened the door to the room and glanced at me like I was an insect he could easily step on. For all intents and purposes, he probably could. He looked me up and down and I raised an eyebrow, attempting to change my accent slightly. I sounded much deeper than I'd anticipated on sounding. "May I inquire as to what you're doing with _my _slave?"

His eyes narrowed at me, looking for something to spur a fight. I looked as calm and collected as I always did when I was negotiating. Whether he liked it or not, I was getting in that room. His back was turned to Anakin, so I could easily kill this man without worrying about him getting hurt. "I was just acting as a placeholder until you got here." He threw a smirk over his shoulder before looking back at me. "He's a real prize, you know? He's very tight. Anyone would be lucky to get that kind of slave."

I nodded, swallowing back my disgust. "That would be why I bought him," I said sarcastically. "Now, if you don't mind." He nodded, grabbing his clothes as I stood in the doorway. I shifted aside and he made his way out. I stepped in after he began making his way down the hall and shut the door. I cautiously stepped further into the room, a wall jutting out and shielding him from me temporarily, making this slight walkway seem like a hellish mile. My Anakin was on his hands and knees, completely naked, extremely bruised, and slightly bloody. His head was bowed and he didn't move as I came closer. He must have been commanded often to _not _look directly at his masters. I smiled sadly at him and saw how tense he was. I reverted back to my Coruscanti accent. "So you'll give your dear, old Master the silent treatment, hm?"

His head immediately shot up and my stomach clenched at the cuts he'd received on his lips, cheeks, and jaw. His eyes were wide and alive, much more alive than I thought they would be. He sprang up and wrapped his arms around me, breathing heavily. "Obi-Wan," he whispered repeatedly. I carefully rested my hands on his back and in his hair. "I was starting to think you'd never come for me," he said, agonizing as he cried into my neck.

I carefully led him to the bed without separating and sat him down with me. I took this moment to observe his front side very closely. His right shoulder looked like it had been dislocated numerous times; his left had severe bite marks embedded into it. His neck and jaw were covered in bite marks as well. As I trailed down his arms, I saw too many bruises to count, too many cuts that were clearly a result of fingernails, chains, whips, and whatever else had been used to hurt him. His wrists were raw; his chest and stomach were identical to his arms, more than likely for the same reasons. His legs hadn't taken much damage, though he would probably have several scars as a result of very deep cuts.

I ran my hand over his back, raised slightly so I wouldn't hurt him too terribly. He was whipped repeatedly and that had pretty much been the extent of the damage done to his back. His hair was cut a little shorter, not much, but clearly noticeable. "Of course I would come for you," I whispered, kissing his hair. "I've been searching endlessly. I'm s-"

He shook his head and sat up quickly, staring at me. "Don't you dare apologize," he said, his voice stronger now. "I _know _you tried your best." I looked away from him sadly and he delicately grabbed my chin and made me look into his eyes. "I love you," he whispered. His voice was pained and I sighed, leaning forward to lightly kiss him. His lip was bleeding and I didn't want to hurt him. "I love you so much." The tears were coming more freely now and I wanted to soothe him.

He trembled and I held him against me. "I love you, Anakin. I love you so much more than you know." As much as I would have liked to calm him down and reassure him that he was now safe, I wanted to get him _away _from here. "Anakin, do you have any clothes or is this how you've been since arriving?" I wiped his tears away as he breathed shakily and nodded towards the pants by the wall. If I couldn't hide his chest and back, we would never be able to walk out of here the way I'd come in. I saw a robe that the man who was just… My eyes widened and my heart tightened. I kissed his hair passionately.

After a few more minutes, he sat up and rubbed his eyes. His naturally golden skin was drenched in sweat and he was slightly dirty. "I'll get dressed," he whispered, obviously feeling ashamed. He began to slide off of the bed, but I grabbed his hand. He looked at me, scared.

"I hope you know that I do not see you any differently," I said quietly, but firmly. "You are still my Anakin, the same Anakin. What they did to you was wrong and I will make sure they _pay _for it." He smiled weakly and I knew he was just forcing it. He would depress himself into thinking he was some kind of whore now. He would tell himself I didn't love him, even though he knew damn well that wasn't true. "Do you believe me? Be honest."

He kept his eyes locked with mine, taking his time with the answer. I knew nothing in my appearance would give off any indication of me seeing him differently. I loved this man. "Yes," he said finally. He leaned closer to me and kissed me slowly. We kept our mouths together and it felt brand new. The sensations were different now. He was kissing me intensely, deeply. He _wanted _me to know how deeply he loved me and this was his way of showing it. He pushed his feelings into the kiss and I loved it.

Once he pulled away, I smiled at him. I stood and he watched me. I moved to grab his pants and the robe hanging by the walkway. I turned back to him and took in his image. He looked very worn out, beat, tired, sad, hurt… He looked gorgeous, and I wasn't sure if this was the appropriate time to say so. I didn't like how damaged he was, but I could still see his beauty underneath it all. He must have realized that because he smiled warmly in return. I moved closer to him and knelt in front of him. He looked confused, but realized that I just wanted to help him put his pants on right now.

He let me help and he stood up so I could pull them over his delicious ass and rest them on his lovely hips. I looked up at him and he chuckled quietly. "This is probably the last thing you want to hear right now," I began, "but you're beautiful, Anakin."

He lifted his flesh hand to stroke my cheek before caressing it. "I needed to hear it from you. Being told I'm pretty and good-looking enough to fuck isn't what I want." His eyes lowered, but only for a moment. "I needed to hear you tell me something, anything, because I know you'll tell me honestly what you think of me and you won't be vulgar about it."

"You're a beautiful man." I watched his eyes light up and his smile widen. "Calling you pretty is an understatement, Anakin. You are the most attractive looking man I have ever seen. No one can match your beauty." He laughed, embarrassed. I admired the way his cheeks burned. "Now, my beautiful lover, I want to get you out of here. Ahsoka is waiting for us at the door."

He nodded, then his eyes widened. "You brought her _here?_" He looked and sounded horrified. I knew one reason was that he didn't want her to see her Master like this, but the most important reason he didn't want her here is because he was afraid of losing her to slavery.

"She's safe, I assure you. I can sense her." Ahsoka was anxious right now. Nothing had happened to her. She wasn't in danger or anything of the sort. He sighed and nodded. I draped the robe around his tall figure and he closed it over his chest. I watched his eyes flicker between sad, grateful, angry, fearful, and agonized.

"Hey, sweetheart?" he whispered, kind of nervous as he called me that. I thought it was cute and I actually liked it. I gave him a look of question. "You got your lightsaber?" I nodded. "Mind cutting this collar off? I haven't been able to sense or release into the Force in a while."

I kissed his jaw. "But you look so good with it on." I gave him a playful look and it eased him out of the anger that had shown on his face as I said that. He returned the look and smiled. I pulled my lightsaber from my boot and activated it, slicing into the collar with careful precision. As I did so, I glanced at him and saw how much he trusted me. The collar fell from his neck and clattered against the floor. He breathed a sigh of relief and all of his feelings rushed through him and into me. That collar had blocked my ability to sense him as well as forced him to refrain from Force abilities, otherwise he would be shocked.

He placed both hands on the sides of my face and I saw so much love in his blue orbs. "Now I can feel you," he whispered. He kissed me slowly, letting himself readjust to my Force signature as well as the other beings inside this particular building. He pulled back abruptly and stared at me, horrified. "Obi-Wan." I was about to ask him what was wrong, but the door flew open and he pulled me to the side quickly to avoid blasterfire. He curled over me defensively. "_My owner_," he hissed through our freshly opened bond.

"Bitch, on the bed." I saw him nearly do as he was told, then he realized he didn't have to. He stared into my eyes and breathed slowly. Without him realizing it, I used the Force to pull _his _lightsaber from my other boot. I clutched it in my hand and pressed it gently against his chest. "Bitch! Get over here _now!_"

I felt his hatred rising and he took the lightsaber from my hand. Normally, I would lecture him about calming himself, but this was different. "I want to kill them all," I said into his mind. It echoed and he looked afraid. I silently kissed his cheek and he moved aside as a result of my gentle push. I held my saber and activated it as I moved from the shelter of the wall and destroyed the man's blaster. He looked genuinely afraid. "Have I been given the honor of meeting my lover's _master?_"

Anakin stepped around to stand behind me. He was sinking further and further into his anger. "I just want the bitch. If you give him to me, I won't kill you." Anakin scoffed at him and the man's eyes darted to his figure, glaring through narrowed eyes. "When I kill your _lover_, I'll tear your ass apart again," he sneered.

I felt Anakin's shame wash over him and that was _not _a feeling I wanted from him. He had nothing to be ashamed of. He had done _nothing _wrong. It had been these monsters who defiled him. Unfortunately for this slaver bastard, I wouldn't give him the chance to hurt my Anakin again. I surged forward and slid my lightsaber cleanly through his chest. The man's eyes widened. I deactivated my blade as he choked out and collapsed to the floor.

I spun to face Anakin, immediately cupping his face. "Don't listen to a word he or anyone else says. Listen to _me._" He looked as ashamed as he felt. "I love you. You know I do, my sweet Anakin." He nodded and one tear slipped down from his right eye. His lips parted and that haunted look returned to his eyes. "My love," I whispered, stroking his cheek. I wiped his tear away and he nodded again, almost like he was trying to reassure himself that what I was saying more important than anything these slaver scum had to say.

He took my hand firmly in his flesh hand and I led him from the room. He kept his eyes lowered and we both hoped no one would recognize him as one of the _slaves._ His breathing quickened as we neared where I'd left Ahsoka. As soon as we rounded the corner, joy burst out of her tiny form. Anakin's arm wound around me and we tried to make it look like he was somewhat intoxicated so we could slip out without the guard questioning us.

Anakin moved with a slight limp that I hadn't realized he had since I found him. I grabbed Ahsoka's chain and didn't even have to tug on it to make her move. As soon as we were a safe distance from that building, Anakin straightened up as much as he could. Ahsoka flew from her position on my other side and hugged him tightly. He winced and I heard him hiss. "Master, I'm so glad you're alive!"

He chuckled lightly after recovering. He patted the back of her head gently. "I'm glad to be alive," he whispered, looking at me as he said that with a smile.

"All right. Let's get him back on the ship. He needs fresh clothing and lots of relaxation." Anakin's smile warmed up as I said that. He always appreciated my need to take care of him. I knew he would do the same for me if our positions were reversed.

We made our way towards our ship, Ahsoka still very much attached to her Master's side. It seemed like she'd noticed his limp and wanted to help him out. He appreciated it, but he told me through our bond that he would prefer to have me holding him. As soon as our ship was in sight, I grew concerned. The landing ramp was down. That had definitely been up when we left. "It's them," Anakin whispered. "I can sense those bastards." The venom in his voice was enough for me to know that those bastards had partaken in his torment.

"Allow me," I said. "Ahsoka, stay with Anakin."

I made one step forward before his voice growled at me. "I'm not an _invalid_, Obi-Wan. I can fight." I sighed and shook my head at him. I told him that I wanted him _here._ Ahsoka would protect him from anyone if they were seen.

He eventually gave in and let me go off on my own. I took cautious steps towards the ship, trying to sense the situation. I silently stepped up the landing ramp and glanced into the cockpit. Two men were sitting there, talking in their own native tongue. They were clearly unaware of my presence and I took advantage of that. Just looking at them… I knew what they'd done. Anakin could see them through our bond and I saw what they did to him in return. I activated my lightsaber once again and beheaded both of them without damaging the seats.

Once that was done, Ahsoka helped Anakin into the ship. He complained about wanting to be in the cockpit, but Ahsoka just wouldn't have it. She took him into the back and forced him into our small resting area. I got rid of the bodies and prepped the ship. Ahsoka joined me in the cockpit and smiled. "He's just as stubborn as he always is."

The right side of my mouth twitched into a half smile. "It's good to see that he's still himself." She shuddered and I cast my gaze away from her. I knew she harbored no feelings of disgust for her Master. She cared very much for him and was very concerned. We lifted from Cartodia Two and made our way through the atmosphere. I set a course for Coruscant, knowing that the Council would want us back. I should take the time to report that he was safely aboard our ship, but I didn't feel like following protocol when I could be with my Anakin again.

Ahsoka agreed to take over for me while I went into the back to see Anakin putting bacta patches on some of the more severe injuries. I moved closer to him and kissed his neck when I was behind him. "I love you," he said quietly, lifting his hand to stroke my beard.

"I love you, Anakin." I slid around to his front and helped him. I took a roll of bacta and wrapped it around his abdomen as well as his biceps. I looked at his shoulder and saw that it was still dislocated. I couldn't imagine how much pain he was shielding from me. "I know it'll hurt, but would you like me to put your shoulder back into place?" He sighed and nodded. Again, as he gazed at me, I saw the trust in his eyes. I gently placed my hands in position and shifted his shoulder. He ground his teeth together and groaned. Once I heard it pop back to where it should be, he exhaled heavily.

"Thank you," he breathed. "Thank you for coming for me, Obi-Wan. Thank you for…for everything." He seemed flustered and I leaned closer, slipping my hand behind his head, gently inclining him towards me so I could kiss him. He was thinking about how he could never repay me for saving him. I countered his thoughts with one of my own. All I needed in return was his love.

**A/N: Thank you all for your lovely reviews! The feedback is always wonderful! For all my lovely Obikin fans, Snootiegirl99 has some wonderful fics of her own, so check her out! Her favorites are also filled with plenty of good fics, so be sure to look there too! My other account, General Kenobi-Skywalker, has one Obikin fic on it that will be updated alongside this one, which will be very frequently since I'm getting back into them both. Again, thank you all so much and go read some of the other fics I mentioned. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

We'd arrived back on Coruscant in the middle of the night and the Council was somewhat relieved. They hadn't heard from us since before setting our course for Cartodia Two. Anakin was rushed to the medical wing and he pleaded for me to join him, so I did. His internal levels had all stabilized, but I could see him coming down from his joyful high. He kissed me repeatedly en route to Coruscant, and it was very sporadic now. It also felt like he was starting to flinch away from me whenever I tried to kiss him.

He was finally allowed to leave after a number of tests the healers wanted to do on him. He had slight food poisoning and head trauma, but he was fine. The healers managed to do all that could be done for his painful injuries. His cuts were now sealed, but the bruises were still flourishing in a multitude of shades depending on when he'd received them, which appeared to be maybe a week or two old prior to our finding him, the most recent ones being made while he was used in that building.

I watched him walk alongside me. He still had a slight limp, but he was forcing himself to push until he got back to his quarters. He asked Ahsoka if she could spend time with a friend so he could relax and she'd pouted, but eventually obliged. "You look as though I'm going to fall to pieces," he whispered, glancing sideways at me with a half smile.

I chuckled and his eyes lit up, but not as they had before. He seemed to be losing his light, but I knew he'd be okay eventually. I made him promise me that he wouldn't hide anything from me and, after a long argument of _'I'm strong, why can't you see that?' _he agreed. "Will you?" I asked, meaning to tease, but receiving a grimace. "I'm just worried about you, my love."

He nodded and that's how it's been for the last few weeks. Almost a month after rescuing him, he's showing signs of post-traumatic stress. We rarely talked about the incident and when I tried to speak with him on a very personally and comforting level about it, he completely exploded into an angry rant about how he didn't want to discuss it. Even as we laid together in my bed at night, I tried pulling him close to me and he pulled back. Spending the night with me was very infrequent now, and that pained me greatly. He frequently drifted off in briefings and our failure on our last mission was a result of him losing control of himself, which in turn contributed to heavy losses of clone troopers. We had all been recalled and he closed himself off from everyone. He only spoke with me about things and that was because I reached out to him and let him know that I was here for him no matter what.

I was awoken by a knock on my door and I sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes as best I could. I knew it would either be Anakin or Ahsoka, and I wasn't sure which one I hoped to see. I slid off of my bed and moved towards the door. I palmed the panel and it opened, revealing a very worried and teary Togruti Padawan. My heart sank instantly. "He's thrashing around and crying out, Master Kenobi. I tried to wake him up, but I can't. He threw me away with the Force like he did last time." She released a few tears, looking down in frustration at her own loss of control. "He's crying for you, Master."

I nodded and sighed. "Stay in my dorm tonight. I'll take care of him and see you later, all right?" She nodded and I moved back to grab my robe since I was already wearing my leggings and a sleep shirt. I wanted to at least have something to dress myself with in the morning. "Good night, Ahsoka." She whispered a good night to me and I made my way towards his dorm.

I could already hear him sobbing before I even reached the door and I couldn't imagine what others were thinking. I swallowed back my guilt and entered his room code that I now knew by heart. I entered and immediately went to him. "Stop," he kept whispering. "Please, please stop."

"Anakin." I attempted to snake into his thoughts and pry him out without hurting him. We hadn't had the chance to strengthen and finalize our bond yet, so I wasn't sure if I would be able to pull him from his nightmare. His eyes shot open and he gasped, his chest rising and falling rapidly. "Anakin, it's Obi-Wan. I'm here."

He looked up at me and closed his eyes, swallowing. I noticed that he was wearing his Jedi garments and I sighed. I asked him to sit up and he reluctantly did so. I began to undo his belt and his hand swatted my own away. He seemed to realize a moment later that he didn't need to do that because it was _me._ "What's wrong with me?" His voice broke as he stared into my eyes. He let me take his belt and tunic off, but he shook uncontrollably as I did so.

"There's nothing wrong with you. I want you to relax. Will you let me hold you?" I watched his face and he looked very afraid. I rested my hand on his bare shoulder, sliding my fingers towards his neck, rubbing over his veins gently. "It's just Obi. I'm not going to hurt you. I love you. I promise I'll take care of you."

It took a bit more effort to get him to let me lay down with him, but he did let me this time. He laid flat on his back and I was on my side, staring at him. He was silent and I was waiting for him to say something. I knew he was in pain and I was tired of him trying to play it off. I assume he'd gotten tired of it himself because he spoke up. "I see their faces," he began. "I hear their voices." Again, his eyes closed. "I can feel them." I moved closer to him and he didn't seem to deny me of that. I rested my hand on his chest and guided his head towards me so I could kiss his forehead.

"You're safe. I promise you that." Tears slid down his cheeks and I frowned. "Anakin, they're gone. You know that. They can never hurt you again. Never." He nodded and I knew it was only a matter of time before he-

"Please, Obi-Wan," he pleaded, rolling himself onto his side to press against my body. "Hold me." I did as he asked and held him against me. I felt his hot breath on my skin and his flesh hand clenched and unclenched as he held some of my shirt's fabric. "I want these nightmares to end."

I realized that he never had these nightmares when he laid with me, so I rubbed along his back soothingly as he sniffled. "Just let yourself sleep. I will be right here when you wake up." He nodded and allowed himself to drift to sleep. I myself wouldn't be able to get to sleep and I kissed his hair again. His chest rose and fell steadily and he snored quietly.

For the next few hours, he slept easily. It wasn't until early morning when he began to stir. That had actually been when I began to fall asleep, but I was fully awake, as awake as I could manage anyway, as soon as he slid his hand over my chest. "What… Obi, I'm sorry." I smiled weakly even though he wasn't looking directly at me.

"Don't apologize. This is out of your control, my sweet." My finger ghosted over a deep scar on his back, one of the deepest ones. His back was permanently scarred from the whippings and he felt embarrassed to have his upper half revealed to me because of it. He flinched and I pulled my hand away from his skin, instead stroking his hair. He shuddered and I could see him fighting the urge to scream or keep calm. He occasionally felt their touch when I touched him and I was trying to be careful as to where I was touching because I wanted to avoid causing him pain.

I was surprised to see him calm himself. "Can you meditate with me?" he asked, much to my astonishment. Whenever I'd suggested meditating since returning, he shoved the idea aside and laughed at me. He claimed that it did nothing for him and that it never would.

"Of course." We both sat up slowly and his muscles were very tense. "Would you like me to ease you out of your tension beforehand or do you believe the meditation will be enough to relieve you of your knots?" I slid my hand over his back and he seemed to move into it, wanting my hand there. He liked feeling my skin, even if it terrified him at times. "I can feel it, Anakin…"

"Let's just meditate. I know you haven't for a while and I owe you this much at least." He additionally added, "This is all I can do for you," but it had been uttered lowly. We moved from the bed and to the floor where we both sat cross-legged across from one another. He seemed to have something on his mind and I raised an eyebrow. "Can we…finish our bond?" His eyes that had been so dull as of late were starting to show a slight amount of life.

I smiled and slid my hand over his. "Certainly." I moved closer to him and he watched me carefully. He shifted onto his knees and that was when I froze. We both seemed to freeze in that instant until he moved again, which was minutes later.

He slid across the floor and moved my legs apart before placing himself between them. I was very uneasy about this because I feared for him more than anything. "I know what I'm doing." He wrapped his arms around my neck and pressed his lips against mine. Our eyes shut simultaneously and I could feel him urging his light towards mine.

We kissed slowly, forming a rhythm with the pulse of the Force as it joined our signatures, and our lives. My hands found their way to his hips and held him in place as he began to rock slightly. His hands shifted to my neck and I felt his passion burst out of him, something I hadn't felt from him in a few weeks. It felt like our minds came together in that instant and it felt much closer than it had ever been before. The training bond we had seemed insignificant to the beginning of our life bond, but _this_, the final result of our bonding,had to be the most powerful bond we had ever formed.

Instead of thinking as two minds, we thought as one. Our hearts beat as one. Warmth spread between us and we parted our mouths, gasping as our bond was sealed, never to be severed for the rest of eternity. Tears were in his eyes and a wide smile was on my face. I could feel his heartbeat without placing my hand or ear to his chest, and I knew he could feel mine. "We are eternally together," I finally said, raising my fingers to wipe his tears away.

This had been something I'd dreamed of since discovering how I truly felt about him and I was overjoyed by having him as we were now. We were both irreparably changed and neither of us regretted it. I watched his face and it lit up for the first time in weeks. He threw himself against me and my eyes widened.

He felt like himself again, not the man suffering from trauma. "I love you," he breathed. "Force, I love you." I smiled even as he rested heavily on my chest. Having him this close was everything to me and I would never push him from me. He was filled with a tremendous force of happiness and it sank into my soul.

"Anakin, my stars," I said, laughing slightly. Before I realized what was going on, his lips were on mine once more. His hands slid across my shoulders, up my neck, back down to slide over my chest, and then he took my hands in his, pinning them to the floor. I was very shocked by how different he was acting now. He'd just gone from suffering to extremely high on life within a matter of minutes.

We parted for breath and I saw fire in his eyes as he kept his gaze locked on me. "I want to make love with you," he whispered huskily. I raised my eyebrow. He was certainly acting…_odd._ "Obi, I'm ready for you. I know I am." I heard the hesitation he tried to hide and I moved him back to arm's length, receiving a pout. That damn pout always got me when he was younger because it was just so damned adorable.

"You're rushing into this. Think rationally about this. Clear your mind." I knew he didn't want it. Part of him was afraid I'd hurt him like the slavers had, but part of him felt like he _could _be ready. The fire died and my lips parted as his agony rushed into me in a massive wave. "Anakin-"

"You don't want to make love to me because I'm a whore, is that it?" he all but screamed at me. He was so _angry._ I vaguely heard him asking me repeatedly to tell him what I truly thought of him, if I actually thought he was a whore. My mind was absolutely blank with astonishment. "Answer me, damn it!"

I sighed and lifted my hand to stroke the right side of his face. "Calm, lover." That only seemed to piss him off more. I knew he hated when I'd lecture him, but this wasn't even a lecture. I just wanted to help him relax and I tried to send soothing sensations coursing through him, but he threw a wall up to stop it for the moment, knowing full well I could burst through that wall now that we were bonded completely.

He didn't take my hand from his face. He wanted me to say more, but I didn't know what to tell him that he didn't already know. He knew I loved him, he knew I saw him as the same Anakin he'd always been, and he certainly knew that nothing that ever happened to him would make him something less than the magnificent essence he is. He was seething and a short while later, he seemed to calm down as I'd asked him to.

I moved to sit on the edge of his bed and I stared up at him, saddened by the turmoil he was going through again. I could see his thoughts clearly and I saw what had been done to him, every bit of it. He wasn't intentionally trying to share this with me, but it was haunting him and I…I couldn't look away from the images flashing through the bond. I could feel his pain, his struggle, his hatred. Every time he screamed, I flinched. When we made love, it certainly would _not _be like what those men had done to him.

"Why don't you want to have sex with me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He was looking at the floor as an image he conjured up in that damned mind of his appeared. He saw me looking at him in disgust. I had _never _looked at him in such a way. "Am I just damaged goods?" His voice was hoarse and I saw him tearing up.

I slid back a bit on his bed and silently pulled him with my mind. Once he got the hint, he took control of himself and crawled across the bed with me. I was on my back and he curled up to my side, hand on my stomach. "You're not damaged goods," I finally replied after moments of silence with him in my arms. "I want to make love to you." I was being honest with him and I let him know that. I was aroused by him without him trying very hard, but I would never force sex on him.

"I can sense a '_but_' coming."

"You've suffered enough. You were raped-" That elicited a shudder and sob simultaneously from him. "You were… Anakin, you _were _raped and tortured." I was being very blunt, but he knew that that was exactly what had happened. He wasn't at fault for what those men did. They took advantage of him and now they had affected more than just his body, even after their deaths by my hands.

He shook against me and he actually tried to come closer to me. His face was beneath my chin and his arms were wrapped around me, a leg draped over both of mine. "I…" He was still sobbing, so he was having a hard time speaking coherently. I was patient and I always would be, especially about this situation. "I want to take it all back." I kissed his hair and nodded, returning to stroking his hair. "I want to stay with you instead of go look for that fucking darkness. I want to be normal again." He said _normal _with the most sarcastic voice I think I've ever heard. His sarcasm wounded my heart deeply.

"Even after all of this, you're still normal." He sighed and laughed quietly, giving me his '_yeah, right_' shrug. "I mean it. Anakin Skywalker, you are still a man who deserves respect, love, and so much more." Again, he gave me the shrug. I smacked his arm playfully and he cringed. "I'm being sincere, my sweet Anakin. Listen to me. What happened cannot be changed. If it were possible, I would go back and change it myself. I never wanted to see you this hurt…"

He apologized quietly sometime later, still crying, but he was starting to relax as I traced patterns on his skin. I eventually got him to laugh, and that was only because I'd begun tickling him. This was the only torture I would allow myself to put him through. As he laid beneath me, laughing until he cried, his arms and legs swinging out while he begged for me to stop, I saw the little boy he once was. I saw his innocence even though he had been tainted. Anakin, though a man of twenty-two, was and always has been a child at heart. The way he laughed and begged for me to stop and let him breathe showed me that he would be all right, even if it wasn't today, tomorrow, or anytime soon. He was suffering, but he'd make it through the darkness, and I would be there to guide him back to the light once he was ready to move past what had been done to him.


	14. Chapter 14

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Since coming back to Coruscant, I was worried that my Master wouldn't make it. Physically, he was very healthy, so that wasn't what I meant. His stability emotion-wise was taking him further and further from reality and it made me sad to watch him writhe around in the other room he'd closed himself in within our dorm. His screams were only quieted by Master Kenobi and that confused me. I'd tried soothingly stroking his hair and whispering things to him to let him know that he was okay and he rejected me entirely. What did Master Kenobi have that I didn't? I was the one who should be helping my Master, not his former Master. Either way, I suppose I'm grateful to Master Kenobi. Anakin's seemed a bit more like himself.

Master Kenobi takes Anakin in three times a week to take some medication and he always seemed more relaxed. The two of them have been considerably close lately and I felt like it was beyond the helping stage on Master Kenobi's part. You don't just sleep in your former Padawan's bed to make him calm down. That wasn't very Jedi-like and it was very unlike Master Kenobi. I chose to intervene today. I would find out what was really going on and I would confront whichever of the two came from the room first.

Fortunately, the bed shifted in the room, which meant one of them was awake. I was surprised to see my Master though. He opened and closed the door quietly before coming over to my bed, sitting down. He looked weary and all kind of other things that I couldn't pinpoint. "Your thoughts are _screaming _through the training bond, my young Padawan," he whispered, not meeting my eyes. "Why do you keep thinking there's something more between Obi-Wan and me?"

This time, he looked at me. There was something in his eyes and it was…new. Well, it was new to me anyway. "Master, I hope you realize I'm not as stupid as you must think-"

"Have I called you stupid?" he interrupted. "Have I called you naïve? Have I _ever _been condescending of you, Padawan?" I shook my head silently. "I've been very proud of you, if nothing else. I know you're smart and I know you're talented." He stood up now, though it was difficult for him to do so sometimes. "If you believe I think so lowly of you, then I'm sorry I've made you feel that way."

"Master!" I whispered. He already began walking away and I went after him, taking his arm gently. "Master, I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry." He looked wearier now and I could see himself aging on his face. He was still my very handsome Master, but-

"Control your thoughts," he whispered, warning me.

My lekku stripes darkened and I shifted my eyes away from him. "Master, what is going on with you and Master Kenobi? Don't tell me it's nothing because I know it's so much more than nothing."

He stared at me almost as if I'd burned him and I felt bad, but he shook his head. He was about to speak, but Master Kenobi came out of the bedroom, his hair a mess. I admit, it was funny, and it even made Anakin chuckle a little. After the subtle amusement faded, I felt something much more overwhelming in the room and it seemed to be coming from the two of them. It was very unusual, but I'd been feeling it a lot over the last few days. "Good morning, Anakin." He nodded to my Master, then to me. "Ahsoka."

"Good morning, Master," Anakin and I said together. I glanced up at him as he watched Master Kenobi. The two of them went into the kitchen together to do something about breakfast and I found it very peculiar how they seemed to adapt to each other's movements before they were made. It looked like they had found a rhythm to synchronize with one another.

After Master Obi-Wan finished cooking breakfast, Anakin brought a plate over to me and set it on the table. I started to eat it slowly, watching them. I watched the way Anakin smiled when the other man whispered something I couldn't hear. If he weren't so damn good at shielding, I might actually know what's going on. I liked to see my Master smile, but I wanted to know _why _he smiled. The two of them joined me at the table with their own respective plates of eggs.

We ate in silence, my eyes shifting between the two Masters before me. "So are you two having sex or something?" I asked quietly, shifting my fork through my eggs. Master Obi-Wan was far more composed than my Master. Anakin _literally _choked on his food and made a show of getting up to get a drink before breathing heavily over the sink.

Master Obi-Wan was watching him as I was. "Where the fuck did you get that idea?" he asked, whirling on me from a distance. I felt the intensity of his gaze and I felt like I had said something _very _wrong. He got very defensive all of a sudden and I felt Master Obi-Wan's frustration and dismay. "Even if we are, what concern of yours is it?" he all but screamed at me. "Jedi aren't forced to be celibate. Maybe I'm having sex with him, maybe I'm not. Why the hell do you care?"

I felt so much smaller than him now and I shrunk down into my chair silently. He seemed like he was going to add more, but Master Obi-Wan interjected. "Anakin, please calm down." He looked at me as Anakin returned to his seat, bending his fork in his artificial fingers as he ate silently. "Ahsoka, I'm only trying to help him." He looked like he didn't even believe himself and Anakin snorted.

"I'll be in my room. Enjoy breakfast without the Force damned psychopath, 'kay?" He shoved his chair back, threw his fork down onto his plate that looked like it had less than a fourth of its contents eaten, and stormed off to his room.

Master Obi-Wan sighed. I frowned. "He hasn't been feeling himself lately, Ahsoka. I'm sure you've noticed that." I nodded and looked back at the older man. "He's been just as irritable and cranky with me, so don't think he's only reserved those feelings for you. He can't help it right now."

"I can sense something much deeper every time you two are in the same room. It's almost like you're combined somehow. I don't understand." He nodded thoughtfully.

"You're far more observant than Anakin gives you credit." I raised my eye markings, confused. "Ahsoka, Anakin and I have a far deeper bond than any Jedi has ever had to another." The only thing that could possibly mean was that he and my Master were bonded for life through the Force and I wondered when they'd been allowed to do that. More importantly, I wondered _why _the two of them bonded. Life bonds cannot be severed, so they were either cursed or blessed to be stuck with one another. I'm sure it was a curse to Obi-Wan to have Anakin in his head all the time.

"When did you two ask the Council to allow this?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"We didn't," Anakin said in the doorway of his room, his arms crossed over his chest. I glanced over at him and wondered what he was talking about. I was tired of these two and their cryptic natures. Master Obi-Wan tensed as Anakin came closer, looking as though he was taking deliberate steps. His hands rested on the older man's shoulders and they both seemed tense. "Ahsoka, can I trust you?" he whispered.

"Yes, Master."

"No," he said roughly. "_Anakin._ I'm not acting as your Master or General of the damn war. I'm just Anakin right now." I saw his grip on Master Kenobi's shoulders tighten, the latter tensing further. "So can I trust you, Ahsoka?"

I swallowed slowly, nodding. "Yes, Anakin."

Master Kenobi lifted his hand up to rest on one of Anakin's. "Obi-Wan and I are together. We've bonded for life," he whispered. "We're in love." I was baffled by that. Anakin, I could understand breaking the attachment rule, but _Obi-Wan _and he was _with _Anakin? I never thought my Master was…_that _way. "You act like I just killed someone." I heard the pain in his voice and I cleared my throat.

"I'm happy for you both." He lowered his head and Master Kenobi looked up at him sadly. "I kind of had the feeling that something was going on between you two," I said, shrugging. Anakin's usual prideful stance seemed…_lax._ His shoulders were slumped, head bowed, and his tight grip on Master Kenobi's shoulders loosened. Before I could say anything to him, he turned and went back into his room. "What did I do wrong? I said I was happy for you two."

I saw the older Master looking over his shoulder slightly, either feeling or hearing Anakin through their bond. "He's hurt. I'm not sure why. He's trying to shield that from me. It's very easy to break through his shields since we're bonded, but I respect his privacy…" He looked up at me. "I think he needed to know you were okay with him. He just came out to you and revealed our relationship."

"I love my Master no matter who he loves. Personally, I think you're better for him than any woman."

"I believe my former apprentice needs to hear that, Ahsoka, from you." I nodded and he stood, resting a gentle hand on my shoulder. "He cares very much about you. After his…_enslavement_, he's felt that you hate him or look at him in disgust."

"Never!" I all but screamed. "I see him for the man he is, not for what happened to him. Those things aren't what makes him who he is to me." Obi-Wan smiled and I sighed. I knew I had to go in there and talk to him. "I'll see if I can cheer him up, then I'll let you two go back to whatever it was you were doing." I started to head towards Anakin's door, but I paused. I turned slightly and raised an eye marking. "Have you been having sex with Anakin?"

"No," he said honestly. "He's wanted to, but he isn't ready yet. I've been trying to help him relax and make it past the incident, but he occasionally calls himself by very vulgar terms."

I nodded, knocking on Anakin's door. I heard him sigh. "Come in." He seemed reluctant to let me in, but he'd have to deal with me eventually even if he didn't. I walked in and he was lying on his back, hands on his stomach, legs dangling over the foot of the bed. "What is it, Snips?"

I moved closer to his bed and images of him and Obi-Wan were burned into my memory, albeit unintentionally. I sat beside his leg and patted it. "Master," I began. "Anakin, I'm sorry for how I reacted. I am very happy that you're together. You seem happier than you can be at times and that's what you deserve." He remained silent. "I love you just the way you are, Anakin. Your interest in men isn't going to change that. You're my Master and my best friend. If I didn't love you for being yourself, I would be selfish. I will not change you, nor will I ask you to. I love seeing you happy."

I couldn't believe that he was the length of his bed. I knew he was tall, but damn. He sighed and sat up. "Thank you, Ahsoka. I appreciate that." Just for added measure, I threw my arms around him in a hug that we _rarely _gave one another. I could feel his heart pounding against me and I smiled, closing my eyes. He hugged me warmly, allowing himself to loosen his tense muscles.

I rubbed his back and he flinched. I pulled away, eyes wide. "I'm sorry! I forgot. Master, I'm so sorry!" He shushed me and kissed my forehead. My lekku stripes darkened even as he pulled away. He thanked me again and I let Master Obi-Wan in. The two of them seemed inseparable now.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

Obi-Wan came into my room and smiled. "I take it things went well?" I nodded and held my hand out for him. He came closer and took my hands in each of his. "I'm glad, Anakin." He leaned down towards me and pressed his lips against mine, moving them slowly. A flash of one of the slavers appeared briefly, but Obi-Wan's been helping me push those thoughts away. It's worked for the most part.

He moved to sit on my bed and laid on his side, wanting me to curl up against him. I did without hesitation and he held me. "It feels good to not have to lie to her anymore." He was planting little kisses in my hair as I talked. "I can't believe how easily she took that. I would've thought she'd turn into you and lecture me about the Code."

He laughed lightly and I rolled onto my back carefully. If I rolled a certain way, I wouldn't hurt myself too badly. The pain wasn't _as _bad anymore, but it still lingered. "I didn't think you'd tell her, even after our conversation last night." He moved to hover above me, his chest nearly touching mine. His lips moved to my jaw and throat. "I'm proud of you."

"Me?"

"You seem so much better than you were," he whispered. I lifted my hips and rubbed against him. He gasped and moaned simultaneously. "My young lover," he began, "patience. You spend too much time thinking with your _lightsaber _nowadays."

"I think it's time for _your _lightsaber to sheathe itself," I said with the straightest face I think I've ever managed. The heat between my legs was pressed against him again and he sighed. "Please, Obi-Wan."

"Why can't we just enjoy each other's company?"

"Why can't we make love?" I countered, raising an eyebrow. "That would be the epitome of enjoying each other's company, wouldn't it?" Again, he sighed. He pressed his lips against my neck and trailed down to where it connected with my shoulder. "Obi-Wan," I whispered, thrusting my hips up again.

I thought he said I was better now. I wasn't having my terrifying nightmares as often as I was and when I did, it was because I fought with him. "If I allow us to, will you allow me to take it slowly?"

My heart began to race and I smiled widely, nodding rapidly like a child. "I want it slow," I added. He undid my belt and slowly spread my tunic to reveal my bare chest. I kept quiet, knowing that he'd be slow and careful. He slid down the bed and I watched him as he slid my pants and boxers down a bit to rest below my hips, and then he moved to remove my boots. "You seem like you've stripped one too many people," I whispered, teasing.

He smiled, focused on the removal of my clothes. "You are not my first, Anakin, but you are the first I've loved, the first I've cared for and respected deeply." He moved back up the bed and sat me up so he could slip my tunic off of my shoulders, which he unceremoniously tossed aside to the floor. For as much as I ached, I didn't want him to hurry. If he did, it would be over far too soon. He planted kisses from my collar bone down to my naval and moved across my hips, gently tugging my pants down. He made sure my boxers stayed where they were and he removed my pants, tossing them down with the tunic, which left me in my boxers.

I moved closer to him and kissed his warm lips as I unfastened his belt. I took my time with it, just as he had with me. This would be our first time and it deserved more time and care. I mimicked everything he'd done to me, leaving him in the exact state as I was in, boxers only. He found some lube in my nightstand that I hadn't even known was there and asked me if I was sure about this. "Yes," I breathed, smiling.

The things that had been done to me were in the past now. I had to come to terms with that. Right now, I was with someone I trusted with my life. He would never hurt me. Moments passed and our boxers were removed, leaving our erections out in the open. We took a few moments to stimulate one another using hands and mouths and then he laid me down on my back, kneeling near my legs. I was trying to shield my nervousness as best I could, but I knew he felt it.

He gently moved my legs apart and his fingers prepped me for what was to come next. I felt his fingers touch me in ways that made light flash in my vision. What he was doing felt odd, but really good at the same time. It was something that had been done in a much rougher fashion while I was a slave, but he took this as slow as he needed to for the both of us. He decided that we were both ready several minutes later and that's when he pressed himself against me, watching me to make sure this is what I wanted before he invaded my body. I nodded at him and he whispered, "I love you." He took my flesh hand in one of his and used the other to guide himself into me very slowly.

I moaned as he slid further into me. He was making this feel magical just by the gentle touches he placed on my thigh or hip and his thumb rubbed over the skin on my flesh hand. I didn't even realize he was entirely inside of me until I felt him hit my sensitive area ever so gently. Another flash of light blinded me and he smiled. "I love you," I said quietly as he thrust against my prostate. He made slow thrusts so he wouldn't hurt me and it was the most amazing thing I've ever felt.

His hand enclosing mine reassured me that he cared, that he'd stop if I asked him to. His warm smile as he moved made me feel loved and important. As lights blinded my vision and our moans synchronized with our orgasms, I felt like it _was _the will of the Force that we were meant to be where we were right now. As Obi-Wan curled against me, kissed me, and hugged me afterwards, I felt like I'd finally found my place in the galaxy. My place was right here, at Obi-Wan's side.


	15. Chapter 15

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

Later in the evening, after Anakin and I made love for the second time, I was called to the Council chambers. I pressed a kiss to his hair and silently slid from the bed, trying my hardest not to wake him up. The way he slept was absolutely adorable. No one could deny that if they saw him. He looked so young again. I smiled and pulled my leggings and tunics on. I turned to pull his blanket up around him and he shifted a little, smiling in his sleep. Without effort, I probed his mind and saw his sweet dream. I'm relieved that he was having something other than a nightmare. He and I were sitting together, watching the sunset on some distant, yet very beautiful planet. I had him in my arms and he looked like he felt so safe, so comfortable.

I'd take him to Naboo. He loved the waterfall there, so that's where we would go. I leaned closer to him and kissed his cheek before leaving. Ahsoka smiled and nodded at me as I passed. "If Anakin wakes up, tell him I'm with the Council." She nodded and I smiled before leaving her. I walked the long hallways of the temple until I reached the nearest turbolift to take up to the tower where the chambers were located.

The lift was short and I found myself standing in the Council chambers in no time. I stood at the center for a moment, bowing to Mace and Yoda before taking my seat. It was odd that it was just the three of us here. "Master Kenobi," Mace began. "We have noticed a…_shift _in the Force." I tried to keep myself level so as not to tip them off. I had the feeling that they were now aware of the bond I'd made with Anakin and I feared the consequences of that knowledge. Our bond couldn't be severed, but I may be reprimanded for binding our lives together. "We fear the Sith may be increasing in numbers," he whispered.

"They have a pact stating that there will only be two," I countered, "but I suppose anything is possible. Ventress and her mate served under Dooku. They're not renowned for following their own rules."

Yoda nodded and his gaze was directed at me, his ancient eyes piercing my soul. "Sense a growing darkness in the temple, I can." I waited patiently, though my anxiety wanted to know what exactly that _meant._ "Fear being betrayed, we do, by one of our own."

"But who?" I asked finally. The Masters before me locked their gazes and that was when I knew that they hadn't been able to pinpoint it. "It isn't…" I trailed off, stroking my beard. "It isn't Anakin, is it?"

"Believe it is Skywalker, I do not." I internally heaved a large sigh of relief. Anakin had been having dark thoughts and feelings since returning to the temple and I had tried my best to rid him of those thoughts and feelings. I felt that it was working and he seemed to feel much better. "Coming, a storm is," he whispered. "In grave danger, The Order may be."

"That is why we have summoned you, Kenobi. Has Skywalker recovered or shown any signs of recovery?"

I nodded. I sat up straighter and thought back to Anakin earlier this morning. "He seems to be doing much better." He was much happier, and it was almost as if he'd never been tortured at all. "He's been open with Ahsoka and me. I have spent the last few weeks in their dorm in order to keep an eye on him." They seemed impressed rather than astonished that I was sharing a room with my former Padawan and his own Padawan. "His eating and sleeping are beginning to regulate themselves again."

"Believe him to be well for a mission, do you?" I nodded and they continued. "To Korriban, you must go. Take, with you, Skywalker and Padawan Tano, you will. Find information, you must."

"Yes, Master." I stood and Mace held up a hand.

"Be wary of your feelings for young Skywalker," he warned. I froze instantly, body and mind. "Things may happen to the both of you on Korriban, and they may change one or both of you." I wasn't entirely sure of what he was trying to tell me, but I knew it wasn't good. With him, it never was. "Be wary of the planet as well. The darkness from within will have a strong effect on Skywalker."

"Yes, Master," I repeated. "I will prepare them and both of our squadrons. We'll report back to you as soon as we learn something." They nodded and I bowed respectively before making my way out of the chambers and back into the turbolift. I pulled out my comlink and contacted Ahsoka.

"_Tano here._"

"Ahsoka," I breathed, closing my eyes. "Can you please head down to our hangar and find Rex and Cody? We have been assigned another mission and we'll be leaving shortly."

"_Yes, Master._" She seemed hesitant. "_What about Anakin?_"

I sighed, opening my eyes. I wanted to go in there and see him before we left, but I suppose I could meet him down in the hangar and we could talk briefly. "Wake him up, get him ready. Once you're both ready, meet me in the hangar. I'll round up our troops."

"_Yes, Master._"

With that, we severed the connection and I stepped out of the turbolift. I immediately trudged towards the hangar, comming Cody as I walked. I asked him to find our men and see if he could find Rex in the process. As I entered the hangar, I saw Cody and our battalion ready and awaiting orders. Rex was within the area and I could sense that he was rounding up Anakin's men.

I spoke to my battalion and told them we were on a recon mission, but that we needed to be careful, which is why they were coming along. As soon as Anakin and Ahsoka arrived, I briefed them and their battalion. Anakin walked alongside me as we entered his flagship, the _Resolute._ I glanced up at him carefully and saw the sleep in his eyes. He felt my eyes on him and looked at me, smiling lazily.

Ahsoka stayed in the ship's hangar with the men while the two of us headed towards the bridge. "A mission strictly meant to gain information," he repeated my words from earlier. "What's there to be wary of?"

"I didn't mention this to any of the others, but I will confide in you what I was told." I stopped and he took two steps before turning to face me, looking at me curiously. "Yoda has sensed darkness surrounding the temple, Anakin." He looked disturbed by that, as he should. "He's afraid that betrayal is on the horizon. One of our own may be aligned with the Sith now, so we must be cautious. We need to discover what's going on."

He nodded, his General Skywalker face in place of the soft, loving one of my Anakin. "We'll start with the old Sith academy. We can search through whatever's left of it and see if perhaps some new Sith are attempting to rebuild from within." I watched his eyes and I realized how distant he seemed, as if he were seeing Korriban already. "When will we arrive?"

"If we jump to hyperspace, we may get there in two to three days."

"My hyperdrive is in need of repairs," he whispered. "I could try to fix it, but we can't use it until that's been accomplished." His eyes met mine and he lifted his flesh hand to stroke my beard slightly. "You go talk to Yularen and brief him a bit more. I'll be with the hyperdrive, my love." He leaned closer and kissed me chastely.

"I love you, Anakin. I'll see you before the night is out, won't I?"

I could hear the desperation in my voice, but he flashed a wide smile, his eyes gleaming as he nodded. "Of course, Obi. Snips will be in the room though, so…" I watched him laugh a little. "It's either we just sleep tonight or we're very quiet."

I rolled my eyes, pleased with how eager he was. "We'll wait until we're able to be alone. It's intimate and should stay that way." He nodded, not feeling or looking the slightest bit let down. If anything, he was in full agreement with me. I wondered if it was because of our bond or because he knew he could trust me with his body and heart.

"I love you," he whispered, his fingers touching mine ever so slightly. "I'll get to work on the hyperdrive so we can get going faster. By the time I even make progress, it'll be around bed time, but we will have time together before falling asleep."

Our fingers locked together loosely and we smiled down at the little connection. "You have fun tinkering with your machine, my sweet. I'll see you shortly. I may even come check on you if I've nothing better to do."

He laughed. "Always good to know I'm at least the backup plan should the first one not work out." He winked, grinning. We took a brief moment to kiss once more before I let him go his way and I went my own. I took my time getting to the bridge. My thoughts kept traveling back to him though. I could still see how peaceful he was in his sleep and how beautiful he always looked without even trying so hard.

"General on the bridge," one clone called out as I stepped through the durasteel doors.

"At ease, men." They each sat down and Admiral Yularen turned to face me. "Set a course for Korriban, Admiral. Anakin's working on the hyperdrive. He'll probably have it up and running by tonight, tomorrow morning at the latest."

He nodded and the course was set.

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I watched Rex and the boys play some game with a ball. It was funny to see them so…_normal._ They were always in military mode and this was wonderful. They were able to laugh and joke and play with each other. They all felt genuinely happy and it felt almost as if they weren't even trapped in an endless war. "Come on, Commander!" Rex called out from across the hangar. I shifted my legs on the crates I seated myself on and smiled. "Come have some fun!"

As soon as the doors opened, every single clone in front of me tensed up and saluted. I glanced over my shoulder to see my Master coming closer. "At ease, men. Go back to what you were doing." He stopped by my pile of crates and looked up at me. "Want to learn how to fix the hyperdrive?"

He was grinning wickedly at me and I had the feeling that he'd try to make it look like he was teaching me, but he wanted to mess around and zap me with something because it was just too much fun for him. "Is that your way of asking me to be your electric generator again?" I teased.

He shrugged. "Maybe it is." I hopped down from my crates, landing beside him with ease. I looked up at his face and saw how healthy he looked now. I could definitely see the difference in his mood and appearance. Obi-Wan certainly knew how to hit every happy point Anakin had and I'd thank him for that later.

"How about this," I began, trying to sound like Obi-Wan did when he negotiated terms with Seppies or even with Anakin, "you fix the hyperdrive and I'll sit beside you and we can just talk." He rolled his eyes, but shrugged, that grin of his still plastered on his face. He waved for me to follow him and I did. He walked with an extra spring in his step and it made me happy to finally see that. "How did Obi-Wan make you feel so good, Master?" He smirked and I knew _exactly _what that meant. "Oh, _gross._" I was kidding and he knew that.

He laughed throatily. "It's part of nature, my young Padawan." We continued in silence for a few moments before we reached the room with the hyperdrive. He threw his arm out in front of me, blocking me from entering. "You, however, will _not _be engaging in any physical relations with any boys, Ahsoka."

Oh, Force. I wasn't even thinking about having a sexual relationship. I wanted to focus on being a Jedi and I had no needs to be satisfied unless it was just the need to do better to impress him. "Yes, father," I said, snickering.

"Hey, I'm not old enough to be your father!" I laughed as his face went bright red with embarrassment. "Older and obnoxious brother, maybe, but not father. _Definitely _not father."

I smiled warmly at him and he started to go back to his normal skin color, that golden tan color of his. "You've been so protective of me since you met me, Master." I snorted. "Well, you hated me at first, but you're very protective. It's one of the things that Obi-Wan loves about you."

"You think so?"

"How could he not? He's called you an irrational child when he was away from you after you did something reckless to save him, but then he would sigh and say," I tried my best impersonation of Obi-Wan for him, "I suppose his heart is in the right place. I should probably thank him at some point." I watched his frown snap into a smile again, this time much softer. It looked like the way he'd smile at his Master. "Oh, great. You're going to cry me a river of happy tears, aren't you?"

He nudged me and moved his arm aside. "Don't tempt me." He winked and went into the room. He grabbed his set of tools and went right to work as soon as he possibly could. It was a wonder the man never got himself killed. He was gifted with the art of mechanics and I had tried to learn as much as I could from him, but there were some things I just couldn't master as he had. He hummed quietly while he worked and I realized a long time ago that it was something he did out of habit.

"Master, can I ask you something? It's not about the Jedi. It's actually about you."

He slowed down in his work and his humming died down. "Of course, Ahsoka."

I sat beside him and watched him work. "How did you discover your sexuality?" He choked a bit, glancing at me with that look that asked '_what the hell?_' "I mean, have you always been like this or how did you figure it out?" He kept staring at me. "Master, I don't know who else to ask!"

"Well, there is my partner." I rolled my eyes and he focused on his work, so I thought he was just going to ignore me entirely. "I didn't always know," he began and I looked up at him as he spoke. "I felt something for Obi-Wan while I was his Padawan, but I thought it was just normal for Padawans to crush on their Masters. It was something I was told numerous times during that period of my life."

"But you had a _male _Master. Didn't you question your interests then?"

He nodded. "I did. The other Padawans I talked to had Masters of the opposite sex, so it _did _make sense for them. I found it kind of…strange that I had a crush on a man, but it stayed far longer than any crush I _had _on a girl."

"You tried to be with girls then?"

Again, he nodded. "Yes. I wanted to be like the other guys and try hooking up with some of the girls, but I just…wasn't happy when I did. I…" he trailed off. "I had physical relationships with a few of the female Padawans, but that was as far as it could go. I didn't love them and I had no feeling for them."

"Did you try to be with a man before Obi-Wan?"

He laughed and turned to me. "You're extremely inquisitive today."

I shrugged, smiling innocently. I didn't mean to be intrusive or anything. I was actually curious. I had no friends other than him and Master Obi-Wan who liked someone of the same sex, so it was new to me and I wanted to know more from him because I knew I could trust him to be truthful. "I just want to learn more from you, Master."

He smiled and shook his head, going back to work. He'd pulled the control panel off and was working on the wires that had fried. He would figure out how to fix it one way or another. "I did have one relationship with a man before Obi-Wan, but it just wasn't the same. He was nothing like Obi-Wan." He seemed to have some thought cross his mind as he sparked two wires together. "I've had feelings for Obi-Wan since I was young, but it never dawned on me that he would ever _return _those feelings. I can't imagine how things would be if we'd said something earlier."

"You really love him, Master?" He was about to speak, but I continued. "I don't mean love as in it may last for a little while and then you'll feel nothing. I mean, do you feel that your relationship with him will _last?_"

"Of course. I love him with all of my heart." That, I could believe. When Anakin was passionate about something, it wasn't partially passionate. He was full on passionate. "We bonded for life, Snips, so that has to count for something." He kept going on and on about the things he liked about Obi-Wan and the things he'd always wondered while he was Obi-Wan's Padawan. This was a side of my Master I never thought I'd get to know or see. When I was assigned to him, I never knew we would become this close. He _is _like a brother to me, even if we're of two different species. He felt like my family. He _is _my family. I loved when he smiled, when he laughed, when he was _happy._ I strongly believed that he needed love and that he needed to love someone and he found it.

My Master was happy. Since he was, I was. I normally felt the way he did at times, even if we argued. Anakin always affected me because of how close we'd gotten. I couldn't imagine my life without his overprotective self. I couldn't imagine never getting to see the sweet side of the Republic's biggest hero. I couldn't imagine who I'd be or what I'd know if I had never met him. Anakin seemed to fit into my life's puzzle and he'd assumed his rightful place in my heart as my big, loving, caring, overprotective brother.


	16. Chapter 16

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

After repairing the hyperdrive, it had gotten _extremely _late. I was worried that Obi-Wan had already gone to sleep. Ahsoka did. I smirked at her sleeping form as I turned around from the hyperdrive. She'd been talking to me nonstop for the last, what, eight hours? Obi-Wan came in at one point and asked how things were going and Ahsoka was _very _happy to tell him that things were going wonderfully. He'd given me a curious look and I telepathically told him I'd explain later. It proved to be _very _difficult to carry on between two conversations. One had been through my bond with Obi-Wan and the other was with Ahsoka who sat beside me. Obi-Wan said he loved me before admitting that he had to do a few things and check in with the Council and let them know that we were making _some _progress en route to Korriban. They knew the hyperdrive was shot and I didn't think they were expecting us to actually get there any time within the next _year._

I pulled Ahsoka's dead weight into my arms and smiled as she automatically curled against me. She was a lot lighter than I thought she was and I suppose I was grateful for that. I spent the last several hours using just about every ounce of strength in my arms because the damn bolts to this thing were in so fucking deep that I had to pry them out with the Force when I gave up on using my tools. I don't know what idiot did that, but I'd figure it out later. It didn't help that bolts weren't in the _right _place either, so that was something else I'd have to add while lecturing whoever had done this job last.

I carried Ahsoka out of the room, careful not to get anything on her from my work. The clones gave me curious looks as I carried my sleeping Padawan to her quarters and it didn't really bother me. The girl was tired. She talked herself into exhaustion, which was humorous in itself. At her age, talking should just come to her naturally and she'd _naturally _go on and on without breathing. Well, that's what I thought until she passed out. She asked me to sing something for her and I did, which put herright to sleep. I wasn't sure if that should be taken as an insult or compliment.

I shifted her as I entered her code in the panel outside of her quarters. It slid open automatically and I turned sideways to carry her in. Her room was, surprisingly, _messy._ Normally, it would be _mine _that looked like a disaster. I wondered who pissed her off to make her trash the place. I used the Force to move her blankets and I laid her down, kneeling slightly on the bed until I made sure she was in a comfortable position, then I pulled the blanket up to just below her shoulder.

She breathed quietly and easily. It looked like she was very happy and that made me wonder if all of the talk from earlier had been the cause. I'd opened up more than I ever had in the past in just a few short hours. She asked me a little more about my relationship with Obi-Wan and then we discussed some _crushes _she had. I'd been one of them and her lekku had darkened _so _much that it made me laugh until I couldn't breathe. I thought it was cute that she had a crush on her homosexual Master. That had been when she smacked the back of my head and stormed out of the room for all of five minutes before returning and joining me in my laughter.

I realized moments later that I was being very _awkward._ I shouldn't be standing here, watching my Padawan sleep. I felt all the blood rush into my cheeks and I leaned forward and kissed her forehead, saying good night quietly before making a silent exit. I shuddered at the thought of what she'd say if she would have woken up to see me staring down and smiling at her. Now that I think of it, it would probably be along the lines of, "I'm telling Master Obi-Wan!" I smiled as I headed to my quarters.

I could feel a quiet hum in the bond and I wondered if that meant he was asleep. My heart sank. I told him we'd spend time together before falling asleep and I'd taken so much longer than I'd anticipated. Yes, we could now jump to hyperspace, but I was missing out on time with my lover. I entered my code and walked in to see the lights dimmed and quiet music playing. I raised an eyebrow, finding Obi-Wan on my bed in the center of the room. He was reading beside the light, his shirt off. I'm not sure why, but I actually kind of liked chest hair on him. It added to the appeal. He looked perfect regardless, however. "Well, good evening, my sweet Knight in sweat-filled clothing."

I chuckled at the playfulness of his comment. "It's the next morning, my Master." He set his holo down and smiled up at me. "I'll shower first, then join you in bed, okay?"

"Yes, love." I grinned and headed into the fresher. I wondered why our bond was humming. If he was still awake, shouldn't I be able to hear his thoughts? "_I wanted to keep you wondering,_" he whispered through said bond.

I turned the water on to as hot as I could stand it and undressed quickly, tossing everything into a nearby chute for washing. I had plenty of spare outfits as well as relaxation clothes in my storage closet since we weren't supplied with dressers or anything on our own ships. "Well, you certainly did just that," I replied, stepping into the shower. I moaned when the water hit me.

I knew he could hear and see everything I was doing, so I made sure I over exaggerated pretty much every single thing. I soaped myself up and rinsed off within minutes and I knew he was squirming on the bed just a _little._ I smiled to myself as I toweled my hair as dry as possible and then wrapped the towel around my waist, sauntering out into my living space where my lover laid, looking at me lustfully.

"Oh, you devil," he whispered as I attempted to make sexy movements with my hips while I pulled out the compartment with my sleep pants inside of it. "You sexy devil," he added. I snorted and glanced over at him. "I mean it. You little tease."

"_Tease?_ Oh," I began, laughing, "you haven't seen anything yet, my love." Without further ado, my towel was dropped to the floor and I was scrounging the compartments for my underwear. _Fuck._ I couldn't remember where they were and I looked like an idiot rummaging through my own things.

"Why don't you forget the clothes and come join me?"

I smirked and closed the compartment, turning to him. "Who's the tease now?" He gave me a small smile that spoke thousands of words all at once. "I will if you _forget the clothes._"

I was surprised by how quickly he moved to get off of my bed and undress himself. Well, that was undeniably sexy. "Now will you join me?" He got back under my blanket and moved my side of the blanket back. I nodded and took about five long steps to get into bed beside him. He held me against his warm body and pressed his lips to my forehead as he shifted the blanket over me, letting it drift wherever it wanted to lay on me. "I missed you very much today."

"I missed you, Obi." I lifted my head slightly and he took my lips in a sweet, soft kiss. He laid me on the pillows and hovered slightly without breaking the kiss. He liked dominating me on occasion and I actually didn't mind it all that much. He was an excellent kisser, ticklish beard aside, and an extraordinary lovemaker. He liked _showing _me that he loved me and missed me.

When we parted, he rubbed his nose against mine and his whiskery beard tickled my skin. I wanted to shave since I felt I'd grow a beard like his within a matter of time, but I always had to remind myself that his beard relaxed me. It was as much a part of him as was my mech arm. "So you had something to tell me that you wouldn't say earlier?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, his warm, minty breath taking mine away.

He kissed my cheek and I was finally able to speak to him. "Snips and I had a fantastic conversation today." He smiled and laid beside me, elbow bent on the mattress and head in his palm. "We talked about you quite a bit," I admitted. "She liked hearing me talk about you. It felt nice to not have to hide from her, Obi-Wan." He nodded and smiled, his silent way of asking me to keep talking. "She told me she was afraid I'd never have someone to love because I, apparently, have a huge heart of love that shouldn't be wasted."

"Indeed, you do." His free hand moved over my bare chest. His calloused hands were another way of relaxing me. I couldn't entirely explain it, but his touch intoxicated me. He rested his hand above my heart, rubbing the area of my chest slowly. "I'm honored to be one of the people you've given your love to," he added quietly. His eyes sparkled slightly and he just looked…_astonishing._ Not one of my favorite words, but he liked it, and I knew he heard that thought.

"I've given _you _all of my heart." I'm sure he silently disputes that, but it was true. Ahsoka told me that I was overflowing in my fountain of love and she said she could _see _my love for Obi-Wan whenever I talked about him. She knew I loved him as much as I said I did. It wasn't because I was bonded to him. That only furthered our love, but I loved him because I knew the real him and I'd seen every aspect of him in all of my years at his side.

I curled into him and breathed in his sweet, honey and vanilla scent. His arms went around me as he laid flat on his side. "Oh, my Anakin," he whispered adoringly. "I remember when you were just a boy." I closed my eyes, listening to _him _talk now. "You looked up to me for nearly everything. I believed you to be my son for the longest time because of how parental I was around you." I snickered quietly and he stroked my back, tracing scars lightly. "It wasn't until you got much older that I realized you were far more than a son to me. You have always seemed like family to me, Anakin, the only family I have aside from the Order."

He kissed my hair and I tilted my head back slightly to look up at him. "I never saw you as a father, even though I said it once or twice. You just…" I trailed off and he laughed quietly, musically. "You always felt like something more important. I loved you as I grew up and I love you to this day."

"We've spent so much time together," he said. "I can't imagine my life without you in it." I felt the same way and he knew it without me having to _tell _him that. When I'd argue with him as a Padawan, I sometimes wished he never came into my life and then I would have dreams of him not being here. It broke my heart to think of what my life would be like had he not become the center to my existence.

Sure, he'd only been my Master for the duration of my Padawan years, but he has always been more than Master Kenobi or Master Obi-Wan to me. He's been that and _just _Obi-Wan. He was a perfect Jedi and a sweet man all wrapped into one wonderful human being. "I don't want to live my life if you aren't in it, Obi-Wan."

He squeezed me ever so slightly before moving his hand to hold my neck. "You'll never have to live without me." I gave him a curious look. We both knew he was nearly twenty years older than me, which meant I would live without him for many years after his time came. "I live as long as you do. Life bonds, when both parties are committed, alter us in many ways. The Force is eternal, Anakin, and we have become one with the Force _together _in life."

"Are you saying we're immortal then?" I asked. I was curious if that was what he was getting at. If that were the case, then I'd get to spend _so _much time with him.

He laughed and shook his head. "No, my love, we are not immortal. We are just as capable of dying as anyone else, but the Force grants us longer life," he whispered, "as long as the youngest survives." I stared up at him and I could understand some of why he's always been so protective of me. "I've only learned this recently, Anakin. I didn't know that this is what came as an addition to our bond, but I think it's a blessing."

"Of course it is." He nuzzled his face into my neck long enough to kiss my skin twice before returning to his position where we could lock onto each other's gaze. "If I survive, we can love one another for a long time." He grinned and it made my heart skip several beats at a time, which made me wonder if he might be trying to test out this newfound knowledge. A sudden thought dawned on me and I shifted my eyes away from his momentarily. "We'll live on, but everyone else won't."

He caressed my face and nodded. "That's an unfortunate side to it, my sweet." Everyone we cherished in our lives would die long before us if I lived that long. We'd be forced to watch every last one of them die off. "Don't get upset," he whispered. His kissed the side of my mouth and I refocused on him. "It'll all be okay, Ani. Most of our loved ones are Jedi, which means they will share this long life with us if they bond or if they've already bonded." Suddenly, I wasn't sure if I _liked _that thought. I could see Ahsoka with someone she thought she loved, someone she wasn't thinking things through with. I could see her bonding with someone who didn't deserve her and she would be miserable for her entire life. Misery shouldn't be prolonged. "That's a morbid way of looking at it."

I sighed. "I like the idea of spending eternity with you, Obi, don't get me wrong."

"But?"

I shook my head. No, this wasn't worth downing. We could live and love for eternity. I would never lose him as I'd lost others I loved before. "But nothing," I replied. He looked confused and I chuckled. "As you said, _morbid._ I should be and am happy."

He stroked my hair back and smiled a very small, warm smile. "As long as you're happy at my side, I am, Anakin. I love that I have the ability to make you smile as soon as we see one another. I love the ability to make your heart pound unevenly and your breathing ragged. I-"

"Are we discussing the effect you have on me or sex?" I asked playfully.

His eyes rolled before returning to me. "A bit of both, I suppose." He returned the playfulness with a yet another smile. "I've just never seen you this happy, this in love, or this _intoxicated_ as you seem to be around me."

For the second time in less than an hour, the blood rushed to my cheeks. Sometimes, I thought a bit _too _loudly for my liking, or he was just prying on my thoughts. "You _are _intoxicating." It was his turn to blush and it was a soft pink coloring. I could hardly see it with the way the lights were dimmed and shadows crossed his face, but I noticed it. "The only other time I've been this happy was when I was growing up on Tatooine with my mother."

"She was the first love of your life," he said thoughtfully.

"When she died," I began, "I had no outlet for my love anymore, no _real _outlet." His beautiful blue-gray eyes bore into mine and he was trying to hold a smile in, knowing that I was going to say something sappy to him as I always did when we talked. "I have you now," I whispered. "I have you to give my love to and you return my love tenfold each time."

He rolled onto his back and pulled me on top of him. The friction of our touching cocks burned my cheeks once again and I saw that it had the same effect on him. "I love you far more than I ever thought possible. I love you more than I ever believed I could love you." He brushed my hair back behind my ear and I pressed my lips to his for a moment. "You have become everything to me, Anakin, and I love you. I would give everything and anything for you _because _of that love."

"I hope you're aware that I'd do the same for you."

He laughed, his chest rising and falling a bit faster beneath me. I couldn't help my own smile now. "Yes, Anakin, I'm very aware of that. You go to great lengths to get that point across."

I rested on his chest and closed my eyes. "I always will."


	17. Chapter 17

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I stood beside Anakin on the bridge. He'd woken up early and I sensed that something was bothering him, so I made myself dress and shower rather quickly so I could get up here. It was odd how Master Obi-Wan hadn't woken up. The two of them were extremely bonded in comparison to the bond I had with Anakin. "Master?" I asked after several minutes of dreadful silence. I looked up at him and he didn't even acknowledge me. His eyes hardly _blinked._ "Master, what's wrong?"

He sighed and ran his fingers through his messy hair. "I had a nightmare. I'm trying to block it from Obi-Wan," he whispered so quietly that no one else but me could hear. I was lucky to have been blessed with very sensitive hearing.

"Do you want to talk about it?" It was inevitable that he'd say _no._ He always did. Regardless of how close we've been lately, I wasn't sure that he'd actually share his personal dreams and or nightmares with me. I was certain that he would share them with Obi-Wan if he asked or pressed enough. For as long as I've known Anakin, he's almost always caved in when it came to Obi-Wan, but he _has _caved with me. It's been a rare occasion though, like when he's drunk or too tired to care. I watched him pinch the bridge of his nose and close his eyes.

He stayed in that position for a few moments while I frowned, but then he surprised me by lightly taking my shoulder in his palm, guiding me out of the bridge. We passed through the blast doors and then he stopped and leaned against the wall. I immediately turned to face him, staring up at his solemn face. "I believe I had a…" He stopped and I _swore _I saw him shudder. _That _look returned to his eyes and I moved closer to him. "I think I had a premonition." His strong, firm voice cracked the moment he said 'premonition.' Judging by that, this premonition had most definitely not been _good._

"What happened?"

Mist shrouded his eyes and he wasn't even seeing me anymore. "Obi-Wan," he croaked. "Obi-Wan _died._" My jaw dropped and I saw tears fall down his cheeks. I reached up in an attempt to wipe his tears away, but his hand gripped my wrist firmly to stop me. "I need you to help me keep an eye on him when we're on planet."

"Master, when did this dream start?"

"Two days ago," he whispered, "a short while after repairing the hyperdrive." He let go of my wrist and I watched his eyes. He tried to blink away the tears, but all he did was force more to pour out. I hated seeing him like this. He's _always _been very strong and so many things could press him for a long time until he finally reached his breaking point. His recent encounter with slavery left him broken into a million pieces that Obi-Wan was still trying to put back together. "I want to scream," he whispered. "I feel like I'll go mad with the way I'm worrying about him."

He more than likely _would _go mad if he kept this up. "I promise I will help you with him, Anakin. I don't want to see him hurt either." I took one more step before I was against his warm, heaving chest. He was trying to prevent an emotional, sob-filled breakdown and it was more than obvious. Obi-Wan meant _everything_ to him. I could see that just by looking at him. I nuzzled my face into his chest and rubbed over his back. I wanted to soothe him and reassure him that things would be just fine, but I wasn't so sure I could even convince myself. When Anakin had a premonition, they _always _came true. More importantly, they always _hurt _him.

He stiffened under me and I thought it was my touch, but it wasn't. He straightened up and moved me gently before furiously rubbing at his eyes, trying to clear away any evidence of his crying. He breathed shakily and Obi-Wan rounded the corner, a bright smile on his face as he saw Anakin. "Please tell me I don't look like shit," Anakin whispered while Obi-Wan was still out of earshot.

"You're a bit red," I admitted, "but you don't look like shit, Master." I grinned widely and he gave me that stern look that he always did when I cursed. He turned as Obi-Wan was now steps away. I watched him step forward and share an embrace with his lover. I watched the way he was with Obi-Wan and it made me feel slightly jealous of him. He was so full of love and tenderness. Even with the war raging on, he _still _loved very much. The only person I truly loved during this war was Anakin. Obviously not in the way that he loves Obi-Wan, but I've spent nearly every day since my assignment to him _with _him. I've grown attached to him. I know it's forbidden to form attachments, but these two men have shown me that love is a far more powerful weapon than any lightsaber or blaster.

Anakin stroked Obi-Wan's beard and he whispered something that made Obi-Wan laugh quietly. Anakin pecked his cheek and Obi-Wan messed with his disaster of a hairdo. I figured that Obi-Wan was responsible for the dishevelment of it as well as the fixation of it into something _decent _at the very least. When the two men started coming towards me, I smiled at them both. "Good morning, Ahsoka," he said with a slight nod, returning my smile.

"Good morning, Master Obi-Wan." I respectfully bowed and met Anakin's eyes after I straightened. "Master Anakin and I were just discussing a battle plan once we're planet side."

Anakin's eyes widened and I realized that that was probably the worst thing to say. With his current stress, he probably had absolutely no plan to speak of. "Oh, good." He walked through the blast doors and Anakin stopped beside me.

"You little shit," he said quietly, giving me his best attempt at a glare even though I _knew _he wasn't mad at me at all. I giggled and he rolled his eyes, following Obi-Wan's lead. I followed after him and found it very ironic how we were all so closely tied, his former Master being Obi-Wan and him as my current one. It felt somewhat like the generations of a family legacy. Anakin stood beside Obi-Wan and I realized that the older Jedi still regarded his former Padawan as his equal despite the fact that Master was higher ranking than Knight.

"We're coming out of hyperspace above Korriban, General Skywalker," Admiral Yularen announced joining the two of them. Obi-Wan was stroking his beard casually and Anakin lifted his arms to cross them over his chest.

"Thank you, Admiral," Anakin replied absentmindedly. I glanced up at him in curiosity to see Obi-Wan's intense gaze in his direction. Anakin shifted uncomfortably and I knew there was something going on in their bond. Obi-Wan must've realized that something was wrong with Anakin this morning and I knew he'd try to help him relax as much as humanly possible. Well, as much as Anakin could possibly relax.

"Master, stop," he whispered quietly. Obi-Wan straightened up and his lips parted sadly. My heart clenched as Anakin turned from his lover for a moment, spinning entirely to walk towards the front of the bridge, which brought him as close as he could be to the viewport.

Obi-Wan looked on at him with a desperate and hurt look and I wished I could help them in some way. Anakin was even shielding himself from me right now, which meant that he was doing everything in his power to keep Obi-Wan out for as long as possible. "Do you know what's wrong?" he whispered softly as I stepped closer.

I wanted to tell him about Anakin's nightmare and make him pull Anakin back to their quarters and do whatever it took to distract him and put his mind at ease, but I held my tongue on the matter and sighed. "Master, I think _he _should be the one to tell you." I watched Anakin shift uncomfortably again, the muscles in his back tensing. "He's…not feeling very good right now, but he will come around as soon as he's ready to open up."

"He has the most severe shields I've ever seen from him up," he said solemnly. "That means that this is very emotionally trying on him, whatever _it _is." He sighed heavily. "I want to help him through whatever's going on, but he's being very stubborn."

"When isn't he stubborn?"

"Touché," he responded, smiling a little. I giggled and he patted my shoulder. "You've always been his sunshine in the morning from what he's told me, and I see why that is now." I raised an eye marking. "You can make a humorous remark that makes us laugh when we're down. He's had you do that a lot for him over the course of your apprenticeship and I don't think you've realized it."

_Wow!_ Well, I suppose that may be the reason he'd opened up to me before opening up to Obi-Wan. It also could have been just the fact that said problem was _about _Obi-Wan and he didn't feel like facing his demons with his lover right now.

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

"Anakin, let me in," I pleaded for what was, I assumed, the twentieth time in the last five minutes. I'd moved to stand beside him once again and we stood there in absolute silence. I knew he could hear me because he couldn't block me out _entirely._ He was able to shield whatever it was that troubled him, but I was determined to bring him out of whatever hole he'd put himself into this time. "My sweet," I whispered into the bond, "let me in. I _want _to help, but you're not giving me that chance." He gave me the indication that this was a cold shoulder situation by turning his head to 'look' down at the clones working below him. "Damn it, Anakin. Stop this already. You're killing me." I knew I was acting desperate, but I was desperate to get inside his head and quell whatever darkness infested there now.

He sighed and shifted his weight onto his left side, turning to look at me with haunted eyes. "_I had a nightmare – about you._" His cobalt eyes dulled as they had looked when I'd rescued him on Cartodia Two. "_Fuck_," he thought loudly. He turned to face me entirely and I saw and felt his grief. "_I saw you die, Obi-Wan._"

My heart stopped and I knew that he must be feeling _awful._ That could even be an understatement since I knew him so well. "Love, I'm not dying. I will not die." He raised his chin and I knew what was coming after that.

"_You don't fucking know that, Obi-Wan. You know my premonitions always come true!_" He was always so predictable in situations like this, not that that was bad by any means. He looked exasperated as well as mildly angry. "_I can't lose you. I just…I just got myself back on track. I can't just let you go._"

"Come with me." I turned and headed towards the blast doors. I didn't wait for him because he was already two steps behind me. I found it funny how he still did that at times. As my Padawan, he stood two steps behind me and he still does that to this day. I heard him mutter something to Ahsoka about staying on the bridge and then we were beyond the blast doors. They swung back together and I turned him towards me, caressing the right side of his face.

"Don't you dare say it'll be okay," he said, his anguish evident in his tone as he slapped my hand away. "You said my mother would be okay and she _wasn't!_" I flinched at that and he continued on in an angry rant that I could tell he'd been holding in. "She died because you kept me from going to save her! Those Tusken Raiders violated and mutilated her and _then _killed her!" His eyes were sharp and accusing as he stared directly at me. I could see that he wasn't in total control right now, but this was _Anakin._ His lips quivered and a tear slid down from his right eye. "_You _let her die by holding me back! You're doing it again and it's _you _who's going to die!"

_That _stung just as much as it had the first time he'd said it after informing me of his mother's death. I was hurt, but I was also angry that he'd turned this on me. I hadn't said a word to him after leaving the bridge, but I'd had the intention of telling him that I had him to protect me from whatever lay ahead of us. "_Calm _yourself!" I said a bit too harshly, my voice booming with authority.

He stepped back, startled. I was breathing heavily and his tears fell freely now, though I knew he didn't want them to. "Obi-"

"Silence." Again, said too harshly, but this was necessary. He'd said enough to damage me for the moment and I wanted him to hear _my _input before he continued. His lips pursed into a solid line and his eyes held an apologetic pool within them. "Anakin," I said, calming my _own_ voice down a bit, "I understand your frustrations. I know you blame me for her death and I've never been able to apologize properly for holding you back. I-"

"I didn't mean that," he said, sobbing slightly."I'm so sorry."

He stepped forward, clutching at my robes desperately. I felt everything rush through him in mass chaos. His desperation was a result of his need for forgiveness. I stroked his cheeks slowly, staring into his tear-filled eyes. "I know you didn't mean it, my love." He shook his head and lowered his face so I wouldn't be able to look at him. He didn't want me to look at him. "Anakin, you are my bond mate. We will be connected for eternity and I plan on sharing that eternity with you." I gently took his chin and lifted it so his eyes met mine. "I will live for eternity with you."

"I'm so afraid to lose you," he said shakily, his words damn near close to incoherent. What was nice was that I had our bond to translate his words from his thoughts that were screaming at me louder than his real voice was. I took his hand, entwining our flesh fingers, and led him into the nearest quarters. As soon as the door shut, I had him pressed against the wall.

"You," I began as I kissed him passionately, "will," followed up with caresses to his neck and jaw, "not," he sobbed as I pressed my lips to his temples and trailed down, "lose," I slid my arms around his waist and he trembled as I finished, "me."

His eyes were closed and I felt his anguish seeping into me. I pressed more kisses to any skin that was available to me. My hands moved to rest on his hips and he breathed heavily when I nipped at his collarbone. "Take me," he begged. That startled me, oddly enough, but I should have expected that from him. It had become our most intimate release with one another and it always helped relieve his stresses and wash away his fears. "Take me, Obi-Wan."

I glanced over my shoulder and realized that there was indeed a bed within this room. It appeared that this room was unoccupied for quite some time and I certainly hoped that was the case, otherwise I would feel wretched about making love to him on someone else's bed. I moved my hand towards the door and locked the door. I began to remove my clothing and he removed his own. Within a minute, we were on the bed. He was on his back and I was above him, doing my best to ready him as quickly as he wanted me to.

As soon as I was sure I wouldn't hurt him _too _badly, I gently slid into him. He moaned and groaned simultaneously, his eyes rolling back. I leaned forward as I moved my hips and I kissed his chest. His hands slid up and down my arms, feeling my muscles delicately. He panted and asked me if I could go faster and I complied to some extent. I took his hands in mine and rubbed the knuckles of each, including the mechno, slowly. His flesh fingers crept around my own to lock together. "I love you," I whispered to him, keeping the rhythm of my thrusts in sync with his chorus of 'Obi-Wan.'

His hold tightened on my hand to the point where I believed he was capable of crushing every blasted bone, but he relieved himself before that could happen. His back arched and he moaned my name sensually and pleasurably. I went a few more thrusts before I had sated myself, moaning his name as he'd done with mine.

We separated and I moved to hover above his sweaty, heavily breathing body. His eyes were open and full of so much love and pain. It looked like clouds were floating in his oceanic eyes. His flesh hand lifted to my neck and he traced one of my veins delicately. I felt some of his strength returning and boosting himself emotionally. "This is _not _the last time we make love," he declared. "We will return from this mission _together _and everything _will _be fine."

I smiled and leaned forward to press my lips to his full and luscious lips. I stroked his hair that was matted down with sweat. "I will not leave your side, my love." I caressed his cheeks several times adoringly, gazing down at him with my best smile that I could offer him. It was _real_, but I knew he needed the reassurance that things _would _be fine. One of his past tales of times with Ahsoka came rushing back to me and I chuckled, lowering my lips to his ear before whispering, "You're stuck with me, Skyguy."


	18. Chapter 18

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

We made our way into Korriban's atmosphere. Anakin seemed just as uneasy as he had been before leaving, but he seemed _somewhat _relieved, even if the change was very minute. Ahsoka sat behind him as he piloted and I was in the co-pilot's seat, holding the controls in case something happened. Surprisingly, our entrance to the planet was smooth. With Anakin, we almost always crashed. He flipped switches to prepare for a landing and I watched him do it without really thinking about it. He looked over at me and smiled weakly. "Things will be fine," I whispered to him. Ahsoka looked up and she seemed relieved to know that he talked to me. He nodded silently and we swerved down towards the old Sith academy. Once we landed safely, he leaned back in his seat and I stood, moving to stroke his hair. "I promise you, Anakin."

He leaned into my palm for a moment before standing as well. "I trust you, but I'm still going to be cautious." He slid his arms around my waist and pressed his forehead to mine. Ahsoka stood and watched, awe emanating from her for a moment. She made her way out of the cockpit to give us a moment before pursuing whatever information we were destined to find here. "I love you, Obi-Wan, very much."

I lifted my hands to his shoulders, moving them slowly towards his neck. "I love you, my Anakin." He lifted his head just enough to press his lips to mine for a quick, soft kiss. Within moments, we were grabbing our packs and heading out. The gunships with clones just landed alongside our small ship and Anakin sighed in relief when Rex came up to him.

His captain saluted respectfully. "General, we're awaiting your orders." Cody stood alongside me with our small battalion behind him and Anakin started spewing orders and assigning scouts to scour the outside of the academy while we were inside. It felt as though Anakin and I were magnetized because I moved with him as soon as he did. He and I stood at the forefront of the men and Padawan we were leading into the academy.

"Master," Ahsoka whispered, coming to stand beside him. He looked down at her. "I sense a lot of darkness surrounding us."

He nodded slowly. "This is where the Sith started, Snips." She moved a little closer to him and I could feel her fear that she was trying to shield from us. "Many Sith died here." The hatred and swell of darkness surrounding the entire planet was overwhelming. I was having a hard time keeping my own serenity and light in check. I wondered how hard it was for Anakin since he was far more attuned to the Force than me or Ahsoka, perhaps even both of us combined.

We entered the academy and he immediately split our teams in half, keeping Ahsoka and me with him. Rex and Cody took my battalion plus some of Anakin's and the remaining clones followed us. The air was musky and it felt…_odd._ I saw the muscles in Anakin's back tense as we continued to walk, and his eyes shifted to me every so often. The smell worsened as we entered another corridor. Anakin was the first to step through the threshold of a room with a curtain pulled over it. I heard him snarl in disgust and I immediately followed him in. "What is it?"

I glanced around, not understanding what the problem with this room was. It looked like it would be used for sleeping and comfort of some sort. He turned to face me and I saw anger in his eyes, not directed at me though. "This is a brothel," he growled. "They had slaves and prostitutes and Force knows what else," he added quietly. He traced the lines of faded, ancient blankets and I saw the pain flash through his eyes and our bond. He could sense the pain and events far more clearly than I could. I only sensed the darkness, whereas he _knew _what transpired here. Although it didn't take much to understand what takes place in brothels.

He dropped one blanket in disgust and returned to me. "I understand," I said to him through our bond, watching him carefully. The clones were watching our flank without paying too much attention to Anakin or me, so I rested my hand on his right side and held him against me very briefly. He sighed and his eyes met mine. "I know this is not what you want to deal with right now," I whispered aloud, "but this is what has happened in ancient past times. These men and their slaves are no longer alive and they are no longer suffering."

He quickly pecked my lips and sighed again. "I know," he said, exasperated, "but I still feel their pain, their fear…" He trailed off and I rubbed his arm. "It's so strong of a feeling that it almost feels like they're _still _here."

Something in the distance crashed and we all snapped to attention, four lightsabers flashing instantaneously within the room. Ahsoka stood with the clones, holding her lightsabers out before her, and Anakin immediately darted forward to stand at the head of the group, which left me no other position than that of the one behind Ahsoka. Anakin crept forward cautiously and I could feel his heart pounding _in _mine. Something white and large screamed as it emerged from a wall and flew straight through Anakin who had swung forward in an attempt to slash through it. He spun around as the figure sped through the rest of us. "Master," Ahsoka began, sounding like a question with a tone of worry.

"I have no idea what the hell that was." He deactivated his lightsaber and rejoined us. His eyes roamed over me before glancing down at Ahsoka. "It may be a spirit," he whispered, "so let's _try _not to piss them off." He thought he sounded crazy, but it seemed like a logical explanation for whatever it had been. It was able to surge through us without causing pain or any sensation in general, so it had to be an apparition. He walked away from the group, telling us all to stay right where we were.

Unfortunately, I learned from him that it's okay to disobey direct orders. I followed him and his tension seemed to ease once he realized I was trailing him. Ahsoka stayed with the clones and I caught up with him. "How are you holding up, my love?" I whispered, our footsteps echoing in the corridor.

"I've been better," he said with slight amusement added to his solemnity. "I just want to make sure nothing happens to you." I moved alongside him and gently touched his arm. He stopped and looked into my eyes, his lightsaber in his right hand off to my left, my own off to his left side.

"Don't worry about me, love." I reached up with my free hand and stroked over his delicate cheekbone. He commented about how he didn't like how my glove felt on his skin and we chuckled. I slid my arm around his waist and held him against me. "Everything will be fine as long as we're together."

He deactivated his blade and reattached it to his belt. I deactivated my own and he held both sides of my face, giving me a look full of so much love and gratitude. "We'll always be together." The building shook and we immediately snapped out of our moment, activating our sabers once again. Bits of the ceiling crumbled, leaving a dusty trail in their wake as they fell. "I have a bad feeling about this," he muttered, backing up with his arm out in front of me to back me up with him. That was naturally my line, but I let him have it just this once.

Screams echoed in the corridor, but they weren't of our men or of Ahsoka, which frightened us both in that moment. When we realized it wasn't any of our team, we calmed considerably. I saw him check in with her through his training bond with her and she responded that she was just fine. "Anakin, calm yourself. Anxiety will do nothing for us in this moment. We need to have patience."

He rolled his eyes and his shoulders rolled a bit as he looked over at me. "Don't give me a lecture right now, Obi-Wan," he hissed. I raised an eyebrow as I watched the fire burn in his eyes. He wasn't angry with me. He was _very _anxious as we waited for whatever the source of the screaming was to appear. Without _any _notice whatsoever the _entire _ceiling began to cave in, starting with where we'd turned the corner. "Fuck!" I loved that word when it escaped his lips during lovemaking, but _this _was different. We spun around and ran. I used my senses to span out around this corridor and where it led, trying to find anything but a dead end.

Anakin trailed behind me, breathing heavily. His fear soared as the ceiling continued to collapse moments behind us. I kept running until my foot hit a tile that fell through the floor. Anakin must've stepped on it moments after I did and it was accidental. We tumbled down a dirt filled slope until I finally hit the bottom, only to have a moment's breath before my lover landed on top of me.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I was chest to chest with Obi-Wan and we were both breathing heavily. Bits and pieces of the ceiling above had fallen into the crack we'd tumbled through and small rocks were falling down the slope, hitting us occasionally. "Anakin," he groaned beneath me. My eyes met his in question. "Can you _please _get off of me for a moment?" I didn't respond, but I did move. I cried out as my knee hit the ground and he immediately sat up. "Anakin, what's wrong?"

I turned painfully and my knee was bleeding heavily. "Fuck, I didn't feel that until now," I hissed. I sat in the same position he was in and he scooted closer, pulling my leg over his. He gingerly touched the wound and I growled at him. He kept poking and prodding and it was beginning to piss me off. "Damn it, it hurts!"

He lifted his hands and gave me an innocent and apologetic look. "I think your knee is fractured, my sweet." He ripped some of his tunic off and asked me to raise my leg as best I could. When I lifted it, he gently and firmly wrapped the wound to stop the bleeding. My eyes roamed over him and I only saw some scrapes and minor abrasions. "What exactly did _you _hit on the way down?"

I shrugged, breathing shakily as the pain surged through my leg. "I really don't know." He brushed his fingers over my temples and wiped away some blood. I rubbed my lip and found more blood. "Damn," I said with a small laugh, "I really hurt myself this time."

I leaned closer to him and kissed his slightly bloodied lips. Our blood mingled and dripped into our kiss until we both tasted iron in our mouths. His hand rested on my neck and his fingers curled around it to rub the nape gently. When we separated our lips, his fingers still remained where they were. "Do you think you can walk, my love?" I shrugged and he moved himself carefully so as not to hurt me. I was extremely worried by the fact that I was injured. What if my injury prevents me from saving him? If my leg is out of the game, then I may not move fast enough to stop his fate. "Stop thinking like that," he whispered, leaning forward with his hands held out towards me.

I took his hands and he pulled me up. "Ah," I said painfully. I was about to give up and sit back down, but he wrapped his arms around my waist to keep me standing. I was hissing quietly in his ear and he rubbed my lower back. "It hurts," I said again, my teeth grinding together.

He shifted us so that my arm was over his shoulder. He held the hand that was slung over him and his other arm wrapped around me again. "I'll help you, lover." We moved at an excruciatingly slow pace down a path of _dirt_. "What do you think this was?"

I glanced around and saw tombs. "Well, I'm going to assume it's their graveyard." He shuddered as we shuffled on. Strangely, I _liked_ how close we were. It wasn't all that wondrous that I was injured because the pain certainly wasn't helping _me_, but I liked how he held me close. We moved towards what we assumed may have been a staircase up to where we _were_, but we were greeted with soft voices in the distance.

Obi-Wan crouched down with me. I knelt on my good knee and breathed into his neck to stay as quiet as I could manage despite the surge of pains coursing through my leg. "There are _Jedi_," a voice whispered, "in our _sacred _halls." I heard how stunned they all sounded and Obi-Wan pressed his lips to my hair. They were whispering about how the group above had survived and we internally sighed in relief.

Obi-Wan set me back before moving to peek around the corner. "_Ghosts_," he whispered through our bond, "_and lots of them._" I could see what he was seeing through his own eyes and it was quite…_odd._ They looked like floating, glowing _bones._ They were going on about how they didn't know where the two of us were and that was when Obi-Wan moved back towards me. They said they would send search parties out and that actually disturbed me.

Obi-Wan wrapped an arm around my waist and tugged me back gently as I pushed with one leg to scoot back into a darkened corner. We curled up together and several apparitions flew through the wall where we'd _just _been. They were screeching like banshees and I felt a tremendous amount of pain shoot through my chest as they continued wailing. I took to burying my mouth in Obi-Wan's neck again in an attempt to stifle my cries. He only held me close and kissed my hair.

Once they were completely gone, the pain in my chest stopped. He let go of me, but only a little. "They're going to kill us all," I said quietly, laying on my back to look up at him. It was now that I realized how dirty he was. That shouldn't have had the effect it did have on me. I couldn't help the heat that shot down to my groin and the stiff bulge that rose up in my pants as a result of it said heat.

Obi-Wan noticed it and smiled. "Even in dire situations, you're obviously attracted to me." He slid his hand over the bulge and I whimpered quietly. He leaned forward and pecked my lips gently. "Shall we try to use our bond to heal your knee?"

I shrugged and pushed myself up into a sitting position. He helped me lean against the wall and grabbed my hand. Simultaneously, our eyes closed and we focused on the injury, trying to send Force tendrils towards it that would _hopefully _patch up the wound if not completely heal it. I at least needed it to allow me to move so he wouldn't be dragging me through this hellhole. "_Master_," echoed repeatedly in my head until the small voice became that of a screaming Ahsoka.

"Snips?" Obi-Wan looked up at me when he realized I was tapping into my bond with Ahsoka. He must've heard her screaming at me as well. "Ahsoka, what's going on?"

"_We're under attack! We can't kill them, Master!_" She sounded horrified and I could only imagine how much terror was racing through her. I felt a faint trace of her fear and she was worried about the two of us as well. "_Master, my lightsaber and the clones' blasts are going right through them!_"

"Get out of there. Obi-Wan and I will try to get back as soon as we can. Just be _careful._" Obi-Wan returned his focus to my knee and I did momentarily until I felt like it was mended enough to allow me to move. He helped me up and steadied me, looking into my eyes with as much trepidation as Ahsoka displayed through our training bond.

I was very worried about my Padawan, my little _sister._ "Don't worry," he whispered. "Ahsoka is just as strong and willful as you. She won't fall." He stroked my cheek and gave me a small smile. I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips and nodded. "I love you, Anakin." Those four words stung me and I could feel the finality in those words. He didn't think we'd make it out of here alive.

I rested my hands where his neck met his shoulders and rubbed over the tunic's fabric. "We'll get out of here." He looked and felt doubtful and I could hear those doubting thoughts as well. He stepped forward and his arms slid around my waist, his head above my heart. I closed my eyes and rested my chin on the crown of his head. "We'll get out of here," I said again. "This is _not _the last time we say I love you."

"I have my brave Knight to protect me," he said quietly. I heard the smile in his voice and I tangled my flesh fingers in his very short hair. "I do love you, Anakin. Do not forget that."

He nuzzled his face against my chest and I inhaled his sweet, vanilla scent from the shower we took shortly before coming down to Korriban. "I love you," I whispered. "I love you very much, Obi-Wan, and we _will _say this for the rest of our lives." He rested his hands on my hips as he pulled away to stare up into my eyes while my own bore in his. "Do not forget that," I said quietly, repeating his words with a half smile.


	19. Chapter 19

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

We walked and half ran through this underground hell before finally finding ground that had sloped up towards the ceiling. Anakin took the liberty of cutting through it and he pushed the ceiling up once he'd finished his precise circular cut. It was large enough for us both to fit through and he went up first. I followed suit and straightened up behind him after we'd made it out of there. "Fuck," he whispered. I looked at where he was looking and saw the blooded and disembodied heads of the clones who had been trailing the two of us and Ahsoka. "No, no, no," he whispered repeatedly, his walk towards the heads turning into a sprint. He was frantically searching for Ahsoka or some sign of whatever happened to her. "Snips!" he called out, his voice echoing.

I moved to catch up to him and I caught a faint trace of Ahsoka's Force signature. That meant she was still alive. Anakin's face turned down the right hall where I felt her signature. He was attuned to her signature as I was to his. We heard bloodcurdling screams and our lightsabers immediately sprang to life. "General Skywalker!" a nearby voice cried out. Anakin was gone in a flash, running towards his clone Captain's voice. I wanted to run after him, but I felt as though some weight kept me in my place and I stared down at my body. There was _nothing _holding me down, but I _couldn't _move.

Within moments, Anakin returned with Rex, Cody, and one lone trooper. He stared at me curiously, his eyes narrowed a bit. I sighed as the four of them came closer. "I can't move." Anakin's eyes snapped open as wide as they could and he immediately resorted to pushing me backwards. I didn't even budge. All he really accomplished was more than likely bruising my chest. "Nicely done, Anakin."

He glowered for a moment. "This isn't good." He glanced over his shoulder and Rex began to inspect my boots up close. He was searching for some invisible bond, but that wouldn't have prevented me from moving entirely, would it? "We've lost a majority of our men, Ahsoka's missing, and now you're stuck in place. This is fucking _wonderful._"

"The least you could do is take my lightsaber," I said quietly, trying not to sound sarcastic or harsh. I didn't really want to add to his frustration. He returned his attention to me and was able to slide the hilt from my hand to deactivate it and attach it to his utility belt.

"Sir," Rex said, indicating Anakin as he spoke. Anakin looked down at him before kneeling to join his Captain. It felt slightly awkward to have both men in front of me, and very _close. _Anakin, I didn't mind, but his Captain… "There's an invisible block holding him in place and he has bonds around his ankles. Anakin touched beside my right leg and his hand landed on said invisible block, which seemed to be semi-representative of a wall as he moved his hands up it. He touched where my elbows were bent and his index finger slipped beneath some kind of flexible band.

"What the fuck is this?" he whispered. He pulled at it and snapped it, freeing up my right arm. He proceeded to do this to my left arm and I attempted to break my ankles free, managing to do so after a few moments. He pulled at a final band that was apparently around my waist that circled to my thighs as well. He moved aside as I was finally able to move.

A bad feeling washed over me and I shoved Anakin back, surprising him, but saving him as well. Sure, he landed on his ass and probably hurt himself a little, but he wasn't _gutted._ He was about to yell at me until he saw the dagger in the wall. He nodded and silently thanked me before we rose to our feet again. We heard footsteps running in our direction and I sensed the presence as it rounded the corner. Anakin was right there to catch his young Padawan as she nearly collapsed, out of breath and bruised heavily. "Master," she breathed.

He stroked her lek gently and shifted her into a more comfortable position in his arms. "I've got you, Snips. What happened?"

"We need to get out of here _now_," she hissed. The wailing began again and Anakin cringed. The screams were causing him pain. He stood with his Padawan in his arms and she sighed, pushing against his chest. "You can put me down."

He looked cautious about doing so, but nodded, gently setting her on her feet. Moments after that, the building began shaking again. "Let's go!" Dust and what remained of the ceiling started coming down on us and we ran as fast as we could. Anakin took up the lead with Rex and Ahsoka flanking him. Cody was only about a step behind Ahsoka and I was at the rear, making sure the rest of them got out safely. As we neared the entrance to leave, I felt something draw me down another hallway. I peered down it as the others kept going.

I saw something run quickly, as if using the Force to amplify their speed. I silently followed and it was curious that this part of the building wasn't crumbling. Unfortunately, the route behind me was sealed off by the fallen debris. I continued stalking towards whatever the presence had been, my hand moving to my hilt. I couldn't sense anything, so whoever it was was obviously very skilled at covering their signature. I checked in on Anakin very briefly and made sure he and the others were all safe, which they were.

I focused on finding my way through the corridors as the lights all went out. I spanned out my senses and turned a corner, igniting my lightsaber. It was no surprise when a Jedi colored lightsaber ignited, but what _did _surprise me was the man holding it. I gaped at him as he turned around.

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I fell to the sandy ground after we exited the academy, a huff of dust flying out over us. Anakin coughed as he came closer, extending his hand for me to grasp. I smiled gratefully and took it. His strong arm pulled me up. "Glad to see you're okay, Ahsoka," he said quietly. I dusted his chest off and he chuckled at that.

"Of course, Master. I'm just as resilient as you are." He smiled, warmth and affection touching his eyes and lips.

"General!" Anakin turned when Cody ran up to him. "Captain Rex and I recovered some datapads from the academy and they appear to have recent information on them. We haven't been able to fully observe them yet, but they may prove useful."

He nodded and glanced over Cody's shoulder. I felt pain and horror well up inside of him. He sprinted back towards the academy without a word. "Master!" I cried out. It was _then _that I realized what was wrong. Obi-Wan wasn't here. How was it possible to be separated from one another when we were all _so _close on the way out? I ran in after him and he started groping the walls, trying to find a hollowed area to cut through. "Master," I said this time, softer.

"H-He's not _here._" He started pulling what he could down from the wall of debris that separated us from Master Kenobi. I saw him fighting back tears and I tried to sense out his Master, only to come up with _nothing._

"Master, the bond?"

"I can't feel him." He fell to his knees, bracing himself on the wall. He looked as if someone had stabbed him in the chest and I wondered if that was because something horrible happened to Obi-Wan. It made me think about the nightmare he was afraid would turn out to be a premonition and I _hoped _that his Master was fine.

I sank to one knee beside him and watched him try to force his way through the wall that wouldn't budge or crumble under his touch. "Master." If he couldn't feel Obi-Wan or hear him through their bond, then the premonition must have come true. There was nothing we could do now. Nothing at all. I touched his shoulder and he flinched.

"No, I _know _he's alive."

I frowned as Rex, Cody, and the other clone came up behind us. I didn't want them to see their General like this and I knew Anakin didn't want to fall to pieces as he was. "Master, please," I whispered. "There's nothing we can do." I probably sounded as heartless as I thought I did and I _knew _I was heartless when he snarled in agony. He lost his lover, his bond mate, his Master, and his best friend. "I'm sorry," I said quietly. I hated how his shoulders shook with silent sobs. "Master, we need to leave."

He pushed himself up and I stood with him. He nodded at me and took one last glance at the wall before us. "Obi…" he trailed off. "Obi-Wan would want us to continue." I knew he didn't believe his own words, but it would be what Obi-Wan wanted. He wouldn't want Anakin to risk the mission if something happened to him and something _had _happened to him. His cybernetic hand whined as he clenched it too tightly. I stared at him sadly and I felt remorse from the three clones standing behind us. "Let's… Let's go home. We have datapads. That should be sufficient for the Council."

The three clones turned and headed back out. Anakin walked alongside me as we made our way out. He stopped only for a split second to look at the academy once we were outside of it. I knew he would resent this planet for taking the one thing he loved more than anything.

We returned to the area we'd touched down on and Anakin called for a shuttle since the transports had gone back to the _Resolute._ Within minutes, a shuttle came down and we boarded it. Anakin sat in silence with his back to the durasteel wall. He was staring blankly at the floor until I told him we were on the _Resolute _and the Council wanted to speak with him.

We walked together from the shuttle and down to the war room where the holographic images of Masters Yoda and Windu awaited us. Anakin stood before the holoprojector and bowed his head to the Masters. "_Skywalker, a report you have, yes?_"

He nodded solemnly. "We were able to recover a few datapads." The tiny Master knew something was wrong just by looking at Anakin. "They've been updated multiple times in the last few weeks, so they should help us with our investigation. We _will _find whoever's behind this."

"_And Master Kenobi?_"

Anakin's eyes lowered from the projection and his lips formed a sad, straight line for a moment. "He…didn't make it out of the academy." He'd been told that the academy had collapsed into itself shortly after we left the atmosphere and I didn't know about that until I heard it echoing in his thoughts through our training bond.

Anakin swallowed hard before looking up at the projections again. Both Masters were visibly upset. Obi-Wan meant a lot to the Order, a lot to each of them individually. "_Tragic, this is_," Yoda said quietly. His ancient voice was evidence of the pain he felt. "_Hold a proper ceremony for him, we will._" Anakin nodded and I could see how haunted he looked now. "_Return to Coruscant, you will, young Skywalker._"

"Yes, Master," he croaked. The transmission ended and I looked up at my Master. He looked down at me and gave me a sad smile. "At least it isn't faked this time," he said quietly. I knew he was trying to keep himself together. He would fall apart when he was alone. He made it a habit to hide himself like that. He patted my shoulder and I winced. "You head down to the medbay, little one."

I frowned, but nodded. He stayed, bent over the projector, his hands on opposite sides as his head lowered, his shoulder blades arching. I left him, though I knew I probably _shouldn't._ He was a force of volatile energy when he lost Obi-Wan – or _thought _he lost him. This time, he really did lose Obi-Wan. This was why Jedi were forbidden from attachments. It was difficult to resist forming attachments though.

Life is an attachment.

He's known Obi-Wan longer than I've known Anakin himself and I couldn't begin to imagine how much pain he felt. He'd had over a decade to spend with the older man, whereas I've only been with Anakin for about three years. He was shielding himself from me and it hurt to see his walls slammed down around him. There was no way to make him budge. He wouldn't let me see him hurt and it wasn't fair. He'd been there to comfort me many times. Why couldn't I do the same for him?

"Commander Ahsoka." I returned to reality and saw Rex walking towards me as I neared the medbay. "Where is General Skywalker?"

"He's in the war room." Rex nodded. I knew he would go down there to see Anakin, but I also knew that Anakin wanted time alone. "Am I able to help with whatever it is? My Master… He needs some time to himself." I felt the man's confusion, but it also felt like he knew something he _shouldn't _know.

"We were going to search the information on the datapads, unless you believe we should wait until we return to Coruscant."

I shrugged. "It can't hurt to look at things now, can it?" I gave him a brief smile and he led me into the medbay. He commed Cody and told him to wait for us to arrive before doing anything with the datapads. My injuries weren't all that bad. I had some bruises and cuts. The droid patched me up with some bacta and I was on my way within ten minutes of entering.

Rex and I made our way down to the hangar where the boys were waiting for us, but he stopped me, resting his hand on my left shoulder gently. I turned, looking up at him in question. "I know about the relationship between the Generals," he whispered. I wasn't surprised. The two of them weren't very subtle. If they weren't touching one another, they were planting kisses on the other one or staring longingly. "Do you think General Skywalker will recover from this?"

I sighed. "I honestly don't know, Rex. The bond they had was far deeper than you can imagine." I thought back to the things I'd read about life bonds since discovering the two of them had formed one together. They were meant to live as long as the youngest survived, the youngest being Anakin. I read about what would happen if one of them were to die. Obi-Wan would live if Anakin died, but he would die at the age he normally would if he had not formed a life bond and Anakin would live and die much the same. However, that was only affecting them physically.

The effect that the torn life bond would have on the living of the two was detrimental to their psyche. Anakin would crumble bit by bit until he finally went insane. If he could manage to suppress the effects of the severed bond, he would be just fine. Knowing him though, he would go mad without his other half. They would send him to the new asylum for Jedi who lost their way. We'd created a new one after the loss of the citadel on Lola Sayu. Even after our encounter there, the Separatists proved difficult to remove, so we let them be. We would eventually take the planet back, but more than likely not until the war was nearly over. Well, _if _it ever ended at this point.

Rex was torn. He didn't know what to do for his General. I didn't know what to do for my Master. I was afraid of forming a life bond with someone for the exact reasons I read. If I loved someone that much, I wouldn't be able to live without them. Anakin loved Obi-Wan too much and I knew he would suffer greatly without him.

We entered the hangar where the others were waiting for us. I took one of the datapads from Cody and sat atop one of the many crates we had here. Rex took a seat beside me and I smiled warmly at him. He, like Anakin, was a brother to me. I'd formed attachments to both of them and I wasn't sure what I would do if something ever happened to either of them. I was hurting over the loss of Master Kenobi, but what I felt was _nothing _in comparison to Anakin's hidden pain.

My Master would more than likely _never _recover from this. He'd nearly gone mad when Obi-Wan had faked his death. We both believed we'd really lost the older man and I'd taken on the responsibility of keeping Anakin as controlled as I possibly could. I went nearly everywhere he went. I owed it to Obi-Wan to keep Anakin safe then and I felt that I still owed the late Jedi that as well.

Knowing that their relationship was beyond that of a Master and Padawan, Obi-Wan would never want Anakin to lose himself over the former's death. The latter of the two wouldn't listen even if I tried my hardest to keep him stable. He had been very dark, nearly Sith-like, the first time Obi-Wan 'died.' I can't imagine how far he'll fall since this was _real._ I'd have to stay on my toes at all times just to make sure he didn't kill anyone – or himself for that matter.


	20. Chapter 20

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

Upon returning to the temple, the remainder of the Council learned of Obi-Wan's fate. Ahsoka stood at my side as we stood in the center of this large chamber. I didn't want to be here. Every time one of them spoke, I found myself staring at that _one _empty seat. Ahsoka has kept an eye on me for the last few hours and I just wanted time to myself. I wanted to be alone in Obi-Wan's quarters. I had his cloak in my living space and I'd curled up on my bed for at least twenty minutes, clutching it tightly, and breathing in his scent. I wanted to take it and go to Obi-Wan's room and just lay there. I didn't care where. I would lay in his bed that had become one of our two beds and I would pretend he was lying next to me, smiling at me like he always did before we went to sleep together.

Ahsoka was dismissed from the chambers at my request and I stayed with the other Masters to help them with Obi-Wan's funeral. It was funny this time. When I thought he'd died before, I had his body to carry back to the temple. Carrying his lifeless, limp body had been too much for me, but I did it because it was my duty as his former Padawan and Jedi partner – at the time – to arrange his funeral. He'd played a large part in arranging Master Qui-Gon's funeral so long ago and I'd been at his side to see it all. I wasn't able to bring myself to let them burn his corpse, so I asked if he could be placed in the burial chamber. They allowed me that and they would do so this time. The only difference was that we didn't have a body to sink beneath the floors in its tomb. We had empty space to bury.

I flexed my human fingers that I hadn't realized I'd curled into a ball for Force knows how long. I took it upon myself to contact others who were close to Obi-Wan to let them know that the good natured man wasn't going to be gracing them with his presence ever again. Bant Eerin, his Mon Calamari friend, had taken it the hardest. She sobbed into my chest and whispered words that echoed my thoughts. She couldn't believe he was gone, nor could I.

I'd gone to Master Vos shortly after that and he was pained greatly by the loss of his friend. We talked about and reminisced our times with Obi-Wan and it was comforting. There was no sobbing, no crying, nothing. It was just peace and quiet whispers. I don't know how long we were there, but I got to know him a lot better by the time we'd been called to attend Obi-Wan's funeral.

Master Vos and Bant stood on my right while Ahsoka stood on my left. I remembered this scene differently during his first funeral. I couldn't stand next to anyone. I had to stand alone because I would lose control of myself if I was crowded by others. Now, I wanted to stand at their sides. Ahsoka told me it hurt her to stand away from me during that funeral, so I immediately stood at her side this time. Vos and Bant joined me and we shared silent nods as greetings.

We watched the empty platform lower into the floor and the doors closed above it, the ray of light shooting up from its center as it had done the first time. The mass of dark cloaks around us emanated a tremendous sadness that was beginning to overwhelm me. I pulled my cloak tighter around myself. _Obi-Wan's _cloak. Vos and Bant joined Ahsoka and me outside of the chamber and we agreed to eat together, so we went down to the mess hall and ate the rations we normally ate while in the temple.

I lowered my hood finally and Ahsoka looked up at me. She knew I'd cried silently during the funeral and she could more than likely see it on my face now. I couldn't help it. I lost my lover and my best friend. I couldn't stop the tears even though Obi-Wan's voice echoed in my head, rambling about how Jedi did not form attachments and that we shouldn't mourn the dead. _There is no death, there is the Force._ He'd become one with the Force and he left me here alone. Mourning him was the only option I had right now to keep myself sane.

"How you holding up, kid?" Vos' voice broke me out of my reverie and he looked genuinely concerned.

"I'm doing fine," I said hoarsely.

He nodded. "How about we all go get some drinks and get the biggest hangover ever just to forget today even happened?" Bant started crying again and I sighed. I leaned towards the table, holding my head up with my left hand. Ahsoka's left hand was holding my mechno. I knew I should probably discourage the affectionate touch, but I couldn't. I needed it more than anything right now. "Or not."

"Ahsoka can't drink," I said quietly, glancing at her as she groaned.

"Master, come on. I've had drinks before."

"We shared them," I countered, "and you didn't have _much._"

She rolled her eyes and Vos stood up. He seemed to have perked up considerably and it only made me feel more miserable than I already felt. He came around and I tensed as he harshly gripped my shoulders, pushing them down a bit. "Come on, kiddo. Obi would want you to move on. He's still with us. We just can't see him."

Something about the way he said '_move on_' seemed off and I straightened up, nodding slowly. "Fine," I whispered. "Snips, go back to our quarters and…rest, or do something to keep you out of trouble and occupied."

"Master-" she began, whining and pleading at the same time.

"No," I said firmly. "When you're older, I will allow you to go with me. Obi-Wan didn't take me to bars when I was your age and I will do the same with you." Her lower lip jutted out, forming a pout, and I suddenly understood how Obi-Wan felt every time I did that to him. There was this _guilt _forming in the pit of my stomach and that nearly made me give in as Obi-Wan had done with me so many times. "Ahsoka, I'll be back before nightfall," I whispered. "Please, study or do something, okay?"

She sighed and nodded, standing from the table, releasing my hand. She gave me a curt nod and I frowned as she turned her back to me and headed towards where our quarters were located. Vos' hands moved from my shoulders to my hair and he messed it up more than it already was. He laughed and smacked my back, nearly slamming me against the table. I stood up and gave him a fake grin and hoped he didn't see through it. Bant came over to where we stood and shook her head. "You behave, Quin. Obi-Wan is watching you now."

Master Vos laughed out loud and made to hug the female Mon Cal. She returned his hug warmly and I wished I could hug Obi-Wan right now. I would do anything just to have his arms around me again. "We'll be back in a bit, Bant. You take it easy and we'll see you later." I turned to head out and he followed, but paused for a moment to turn back towards her. "Hey, can you send a transmission to Ferus?" My heart nearly stopped as I wondered _why _he would ask her that. "Tell him we're heading down to the under city for drinks." She nodded and we went on our way to the hangar where we'd take his airspeeder down to the depths of Coruscant where all the sleemos lived.

Just the mention of Ferus Olin made my blood boil. He and I had never been the best of friends. In fact, I didn't think we were friends at all. We clashed so many times while Padawans that Master Tachi and Obi-Wan had forced us into rooms together at times. I smiled as I hopped over the side of Master Vos' airspeeder. Obi-Wan used to look so cute when he was angry at me. The way he'd huff and cross his arms over his chest and _try _to give me that Master-like look just didn't suit him. He couldn't master me even if he _tried._

In a matter of ten or fifteen minutes, we were in a cantina, up at the bar. Master Vos was whistling at all the girls who chose to walk by and some of them even winked back. Ferus did show up and the two of them seemed to be enjoying themselves. Well, themselves _and _each other. I noticed it until I was too smashed to see anything.

**The next morning.**

Something was poking me and shaking me occasionally. I groaned and swatted the source away, hoping it would _go away._ My head was pounding and I felt sick to my stomach. "Master." _Ugh._ That _shrill _voice. I couldn't stand it right now. I threw my heavy arm out and let it fall when it was done. I hadn't hit anything until my knuckles hit the floor and I groaned again. "Master," she whispered.

"What, Snips?" I said, aggravated. No matter how quiet she tried to be, it sounded like she was _screaming _at me.

Her hand felt _way _too warm when she touched my back and I opened my eyes slowly, realizing after a split second that I was shirtless. I gasped and pushed myself up. _Fuck._ I was naked, too. I pulled the blanket over myself, my face burning up. "That's what," she said, snickering.

I glowered at her and she sat next to me on the bed. "Am I in the temple?"

"You bet you are. Master Vos had to carry you in." She seemed to find that amusing and I only continued to glare at her as menacingly as I could manage in my current state. "You probably shouldn't get drunk anymore, Master."

I raised an eyebrow out of sheer curiosity. "Why might that be?"

"All you did was sob or laugh uncontrollably and you talked about Obi-Wan a lot. It was kind of scary."

"I see." Well, shit. I hoped I hadn't said anything about Obi-Wan while I was with Master Vos. The last thing I wanted was for him to rip on me or on Obi-Wan because we're homosexuals. Not that it mattered. I was alone now. He had to respect Obi-Wan though. "Can I just lay here for a couple more minutes, Snips?"

She smiled warmly and rubbed my back. "Of course, Master." Without another word, she left to head into her own living space. I threw my hand out and pulled Obi-Wan's cloak onto my bed. I held it against me and nuzzled it as if it _were _Obi-Wan.

"Why'd you have to die?" I whispered sadly, closing my eyes. I rubbed the fabric against my cheek, frowning as I felt tears ready to burst through the floodgates. "We promised each other that this wasn't the end…" My comlink went off on the nightstand and I heaved the biggest sigh I think I've ever let out. I pulled it towards me with the Force because I was too exhausted and not motivated enough to move. "Skywalker here," I whispered.

"_Come to the Council chambers, you must, young Skywalker. Require you, we do._"

"Should I bring Ahsoka?"

"_No. A mission for Knights, this is._"

I perked up and glanced at the com curiously. "I'll be right there, Master." It was a blur the entire way up the tower. I entered the Council chambers before I even registered that I was in the room itself. Standing before me at the center was Master Vos, Bant, and Ferus. I grimaced as I moved closer. I can admit that I was slightly excited when I heard that he was leaving several years back. It hadn't been good news to hear about Master Tachi's death, but Ferus and I never got along well. I assumed we still wouldn't, even if Obi-Wan's death was the only thing that brought us together.

I stood beside Bant and Master Vos grinned at me, winking. Ferus and I shared a mutual look of disgust for one another before returning our attention to the small, green Master. "A mission, you all have," he said obviously. "A collaboration, there is, between you four." Yet another obvious statement. "Search for Obi-Wan, you will."

My eyes widened. "Master Yoda, Obi-Wan is _dead_," I whispered solemnly. He looked like he didn't believe me. How could he not? _I_ would know better than anyone that he was dead. My life bond with him was _severed._ I felt nothing at all. There wasn't even a flicker of life in our bond. I was the only one remaining and that pulled at my heart.

"Know this for fact, we do not." He looked contemplative before returning his gaze to me. "Hidden, his signature may be. Until a body, we find, know he is dead, we do not." I bit my tongue. If his signature _was _hidden, I would still be able to feel him through our bond, wouldn't I? I wanted to ask Master Yoda, but I didn't know if I should reveal my bond to everyone in the room. We'd gone behind the Council's back with it. "Something to add, have you, young Skywalker?"

"No, Master," I whispered.

"Search Korriban, you will not. To Abraxas, you all will go."

_Abraxas?_ That thought seemed to echo between the four of us as we all shared looks of confusion. "The planet is aligned with the Separatists," Master Vos intoned. He glanced down at Bant and gave her a weak smile. "I suppose it's a good starter." Ferus looked at me in disgust again and I could only return it. There was nothing appealing about him. We'd experimented with each other occasionally as Padawans, but we agreed _never _to speak of it in the presence of the other or someone else. The most we'd done was touch and kiss. Neither of us wanted to go beyond that.

I knew he loved Obi-Wan as much as I did and it hurt all that much more because this mission revolved around finding Obi-Wan's body or some clue as to whether or not he's alive. I wasn't hopeful in the slightest. I had a life bond with the man and I couldn't feel him. "Separatist activities, there are, on Abraxas. Arrive with caution, you must."

We all nodded and he dismissed us. The four of us walked together towards the hangar. Master Vos and Bant stood side by side in front of Ferus and me. He cast a sideways look of disgust at me and I grimaced at him. "Can we _not?_" I whispered.

He shrugged. "I've been meaning to talk to you anyway." I stopped in my tracks. _That _wasn't good at all. Since he left, he'd not once tried to contact any of the Jedi. Obi-Wan worried about him for a while, but I suppose he relaxed shortly thereafter. He paused to look at me, raising an eyebrow. "We'll talk on the ship while Quinlan flies." I swallowed quietly and nodded, taking my place at his side again.

We all got into a decently sized shuttle. Bant and Master Vos immediately went into the cockpit and I assumed they wanted to talk to one another in private about Obi-Wan. The three of them had always been a connected circle of friends. I didn't understand how Obi-Wan and Master Vos got along, but to each his own, I suppose. Master Vos was like me whereas Bant was like Obi-Wan.

"What is it then?" I asked quietly, taking a seat on one of the open compartments in the back. He stood against the wall across from me, his eyes searching mine.

"How have you been?" It was my turn to raise an eyebrow. He had never been one for small talk, especially around me. It was always insults or gibes thrown at one another in so many words. He wasn't naturally _kind _to me, nor was I to him. He sensed my skepticism and sighed, nodding. "How have you been since the last time we were…_around _one another?"

I shrugged as casually as I could manage. We'd had fun as Padawans, but that's all it had been. _Fun._ There was a thrill to going behind our Masters' backs, but that's all it had merely been. He was a test of my sexuality because I had a crush on Obi-Wan at the time. I never thought I was actually into men even with him, but obviously I was. "I'm fine. Things have changed."

He moved closer to me and I stared up at him. He was only about three years my senior, but he'd always intimidated me in some fashion, though I'd never admit to it. How the hell could _this _happen? He _left _years ago. He lifted his left hand to touch my face and his own came closer to mine. I turned my head aside, not meeting his gaze even moments after he pulled away from me. "You feel nothing?"

I glanced at him cautiously to see that he'd put a safe distance between the two of us. "No," I admitted honestly. "I don't." He seemed hurt and disappointed and that shocked me even _more._ We'd been rivals as Padawans. How could that turn into _this?_

I felt like I would betray Obi-Wan and my love for him if I even _acknowledged _that I felt bad for Ferus. I, regardless of death, was Obi-Wan's and he was mine. No one could ever replace him, especially since we were bonded. Our bond wasn't intact right now, but I felt traces of it. It kept me connected to what was and I didn't want to lose sight of that. I didn't want to lose what Obi-Wan and I had. "Could we try? No strings attached. I won't force you to love me as I love you." _Love?_ There was no way in hell he could possibly love me. For as much as we hated each other, _no._

I stared at him, unsure of what I was supposed to say to him. I was aching for physical contact, but would it be right to do this? Would it be right to be physical with someone else after I'd committed myself to another? I felt ashamed of myself, but I know Obi-Wan wouldn't want me to feel like this. He never wanted to hold me back from moving forward. What if I didn't _want _to move forward? What then?


	21. Chapter 21

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I groaned as I stirred. The area I was laying in was cramped beyond words and I was _very uncomfortable._ And sweaty. And there was something heavy on top of me. I slowly opened my eyes to see Ferus lying on top of me. _Naked._ I glanced down at myself and realized that I was as well and that I was _sore._ He lifted his head, hair dropping down into his eyes. He gave me a lazy smile that I could and would not return. We were curled up in the compartment I'd been sitting in and I remembered what exactly happened between the two of us in the last hour.

I shoved him aside and rolled out of the compartment and pulled my leggings back on, my face hot and pale at the same time. As I readjusted the hem of my pants, Ferus' arms were thrown at me and curled around my waist. He pulled me back so that I was against his chest. He pressed a delicate kiss against my right shoulder blade and I mentally choked. "That was good," he whispered, still planting kisses on my bare skin. I stared down at the floor. It wasn't good for me. Not even in the slightest. Yes, I'd released all of the sexual tension pent up inside of me, but it had done nothing for me. It hadn't been Obi-Wan that I'd penetrated. It hadn't been Obi-Wan that I _made love _to. "Anakin?"

"This was a mistake," I said, shaking my head. I pulled out of his grip without further hesitation. He wasn't Obi-Wan. He can't be Obi-Wan and nothing can fill the void in my heart that was left behind as a result of his death. I was Obi-Wan's lover and he mine. I betrayed him by sleeping with Ferus. I stood with my back to him, resting one hand on my hip, holding my head in the other.

"I'm sorry?" he asked.

"Are you deaf?" I hissed, whirling around on him. "I said this was a mistake, damn it." He stood up in all his glory and he didn't even seem to care. Of course I suppose it didn't matter since we fucked. He was glaring at me and I saw the glint of anger in his eyes. There was our adolescent hatred burning in his eyes.

He growled ferociously and leapt forward, shoving me into the wall behind me. He had my hands pinned, but I was far stronger than I had been the last time we'd physically fought. I was able to break out of his hold almost effortlessly and I shoved him back with the Force, not wanting to touch him any more than was necessary. "I _know _we're more than capable of being convenient fucks for one another, Skywalker," he said angrily. "You want to be with me."

"I do not." I glowered at him and he came closer again.

"Why?" I was about to answer him simply with 'fuck off,' but it seemed rhetorical as he continued. "Perhaps it is because you're already spoken for?" he asked, cocking his eyebrow. I froze up. "Does the Council know about you and Obi-Wan?"

I turned away from him, searching for my robe. And my lightsaber. "What about me and Obi-Wan? He's dead. He can't exactly speak for anyone or anything in his current state." My voice was bitter and pained. I was beginning to think he was seeing through me, but how could he have? He hadn't been in the temple while Obi-Wan and I were together. He hadn't been there much _period._ I wasn't releasing my love for Obi-Wan into the Force and I knew I was shielding very well considering the fact that I was on the verge of having a breakdown. I felt so much pressure in my mind and I didn't know what to do about it. Having meaningless sex clearly wasn't the best way to fix the issue.

"I know you're bonded." I stopped my pacing that I hadn't even realized turned _into _pacing. "You are easy to read, Anakin. You love him. You even screamed his name when you came inside of me." I shuddered. I didn't remember that, but I believed it. I had a habit of doing that when Obi-Wan and I made love. I always saw myself with him. Every touch and caress on my skin _was _him and I wasn't prepared to let anyone else take his place.

The durasteel doors parted off to my right and we both turned to stare at it, our eyes widening when the Kiffar Jedi Master stood in the doorway with a _huge _smirk plastered on his face. "Well, well, well," he said, clicking his tongue repeatedly after that. "I knew it would only be a matter of time before the two of you would bang one another. Obi and I always said it would be you two."

My face flushed and Ferus stared at me, satisfied. "We didn't do anything," I said hoarsely.

"Oh, don't worry, Skywalker," he said, chuckling. "It's all right to admit you're into men. We all have our moments of curiosity when it comes to the same sex." _Sex. _That word was beginning to grate on my nerves. I didn't want to hear it among any of its other synonyms. If I couldn't do it with Obi-Wan, I wouldn't do it or think about it at all. "Obi-Wan and I always thought you were a homosexual."

My head snapped up and I stared at him, flabbergasted. Obi-Wan said that? I'd been so confused about my sexuality while growing up. How could Obi-Wan possibly have guessed that I'd end up loving another man? I frowned deeply. If he thought I was like that before, why hadn't he just _said _something to me? My comlink began to beep in the corner where I'd discarded my robe and boots. I trudged towards it and lifted the com, answering it. "Skywalker here."

"_Master?_" I closed my eyes. I had known it would only be a matter of time before she contacted me. I left without breathing a word of it to her and I was sure no one else gave her any details. For all she knew, I could be off on some suicidal mission to grieve my loss. "_Where are you?_"

"I'm…" I glanced back at Ferus and Master Vos. They seemed to be sharing some kind of joke and it was obvious that I wasn't meant to be included. Snickers and quick glances were shot in my direction and I sighed, turning away. "I'm on a mission with Master Vos, Knight Eerin, and Ferus Olin."

She coughed, sounding as if she were choking. "_Master, are you aware of the danger you've put yourself into?_"

"They're…Obi-Wan's friends," I whispered. "We're just on a mission together. I'll probably be back on Coruscant in less than a week."

Oh, how damned wrong I'd been when I said that…

That conversation had been the last I'd had with Ahsoka for over a month. We'd managed to crash down on Serenno somehow and we were all unable to form any kind of contact with the Council. We blended in as well as we could considering it was a Separatist planet – and three of us were injured upon crashing. I, unfortunately, was one of those three, the other two being Master Vos and Ferus.

I'd taken a blow to the chest and was unconscious for a week, Vos had a minor concussion, and Ferus seemed to have popped his shoulder out of its socket. Bant was the only one to come out on top. Right now, she was feeling out the area. The remaining three of us crowded into a small building and the scowling contest continued between Ferus and me. Vos found it absolutely amusing to watch the '_sexual tension_' blossom between the two of us. We'd had meaningless sex a few times in the last month, but it was rare and it only happened when I couldn't resist the urge to pummel him any longer. He was so damned aggravating and I had to release the tension and frustration somehow.

"Hey, kid," Vos called out. I lifted my head to glance at him, exhausted. I haven't been able to sleep much with Ferus' constant pleading for me to fuck him every night. The bastard didn't understand that I wasn't in the mood to do anything with him about ninety-nine percent of the time. I set my _food _down and pushed myself up so I could shuffle towards him. "What's with you lately? You look dead."

I grimaced and sighed. I suppose he was right. "Just thinking far too much about things I shouldn't be thinking about." He gave me a sympathetic look.

He took me out of Ferus' earshot so we could talk in private and that worried me. As far as I was concerned, this was Obi-Wan's best friend. I came second to this man, at least until Obi-Wan and I became lovers. "I didn't want to say anything before, but…" This was it. He knew about my bond with Obi-Wan. Bant knew, Ferus knew. I knew it would only be a matter of time before it got around to Quinlan. "Do you love Obi-Wan?" I frowned and that seemed to be a telltale sign. He rested his hand on my shoulder and waiting for me to meet his eyes. "Obi isn't one to give up easily, Anakin. You know that as well as I do. We _will _find him."

"I don't know if I believe that anymore," I said quietly. "We lost him in the academy. I can't _feel _him in the Force, Master." I lowered my eyes from his curious ones. He probably wondered how I'd be able to sense the older man regardless. After all, as far as Quinlan knew I was only Obi-Wan's former protégé. "Obi-Wan is my bond mate," I whispered, my voice lowering as I reached the end of the sentence. Quinlan felt the same way I did about the Order's rules, but that didn't mean he didn't have the ability to turn me in and get me expelled.

He nodded contemplatively. "Obi couldn't stop talking about you for the longest time," he began, smiling widely at me. "That old bantha loved his apprentice very much." He nudged me playfully and I couldn't help but smile a little at that. I knew Obi-Wan had always loved me. I just hadn't understood the nature of his love. "He's alive, Anakin. Neither one of you would give up so easily, especially if you're bonded."

I cocked an eyebrow. "What would you know about bonding?" That prompted him to hopefully answer whether or not he himself had bonded with someone else. If he had, that would definitely explain why he hadn't reacted as the Council would have had I told _them._

"Quite a bit, my young friend." He winked and I sighed. I should have known he'd avoid it. He and Obi-Wan were secretive bastards. If something major and personal was happening, they definitely wouldn't tell me about it. Well, Obi-Wan wouldn't have until recently.

"Quin," Bant called out. Quinlan turned to face her, immediately going from playful to concerned. She'd just returned from her morning scouting and she seemed out of breath. He strode over to her, staring into her bewildered eyes. "There are people being executed," she gasped. "They are Republic captives."

Quinlan straightened up and glanced back at me, giving me a quick nod before doing the same to Ferus. I pulled my lightsaber off of my belt and moved towards the older men. Bant pressed a hand to my chest, stopping me before I was able to step outside with them. "What is it?" I asked quietly. I could feel the tension and uneasiness rolling off of her in waves.

She gripped the fabric of my tunic in her tiny fingers and her lip began quivering. "Obi is alive," she whispered. "Do _not _tell them, Anakin. I will explain later tonight when you and I can be alone." Her fingers loosened and my eyes seemed to glaze over to the point where everything before me was a watery blur. "Be careful, for Obi-Wan's sake. He needs you." I nodded and slid my arm across my face to rub the tears out of my eyes before they could fall.

She gave me a small, worried smile. Why didn't she want me to tell Quinlan and Ferus? Those two were just as much Obi-Wan's friends as I was his lover. "We will return soon, Bant," I said with another small nod. I nodded in appreciation. My heart was pounding in my chest with this new revelation and I wondered _when _I would find him. I wondered as to what condition my former Master would be in when we found him.

I left the small building to find Quinlan and Ferus bickering. "_You _left the Order. If you wanted to protect them, you should have _stayed._ I do not agree with the rules the Order has engraved into our very beings, but I will not let you stand here and tell me that this is _wrong._ Obi is our friend, Ferus." I don't think I've ever heard Quinlan so angry, but I was thankful his fury wasn't directed at me. He looked at me and his glare softened. "Everything okay, kid?" I nodded and swallowed roughly. "Let's get going. I think Ferus is done being a pussy."

I held back a much needed laugh as Ferus scowled. We crept through darkened alleyways until we reached a nearby square. Quinlan took to the rooftops and Ferus decided to stay beside me as I took the streets and edged closer a little bit at a time. Quinlan and I were probably the most noticeable of the trio. I have a scar as well as a cybernetic arm and Quinlan has a bright, yellow tattoo across the middle of his face; he also had dreadlocks. "Anakin," Ferus whispered alongside me. I grimaced and internally sighed. What more did he want from me? I fucked him on occasion and I actually put up with him when I _truly _wanted to do anything but deal with him. I was trying to be as friendly as I could manage and that was very little as it was. I glanced over at him quickly, raising an eyebrow in silent question. "I'm…sorry."

I stopped and turned to face him entirely. "For what exactly?"

He sighed and stopped as well, standing a few feet from me. "I know how you feel about your Master and I've made things harder on you. We have never been the best of friends and I assume that won't happen regardless. I'm sorry for pushing my feelings and needs on you."

I shook my head. "Listen, it's been hard for all of us. Bant's been crying a lot. Quinlan can hardly sleep. You and I… We're just another addition to the misery." He nodded solemnly and lowered his eyes to the dirt we stood on. "Obi-Wan is our rock. We all need to be stronger for him." I paused for a few moments and rethought that, quickly adding, "If he's alive, that is. We still… We still have no idea."

Bant told me _not _to tell them, which I still found very curious. "_If _he's alive, what will become of us?" he asked softly. I tried to sound indifferent so as not to hurt him _too _harshly, but I told him that we would never be anything again if Obi-Wan was alive. He and I were nothing to begin with. It was all just physical for me. I couldn't give him the emotional love I gave to Obi-Wan. I would _never _be able to give an immense _emotional _love to anyone but him. "I understand," he whispered. He _sounded _pained, but I couldn't play this game. I would not promise him we were okay or that we would last if Obi-Wan was alive.

I would never betray Obi-Wan's love. Even if I'd fallen in love with Ferus over the course of a month–which I _hadn't–_ I would never be compelled to leave Obi-Wan's side. He is my _bond _mate. Obi-Wan is my life.

I peered around and finally spotted the Republic captives and my lips parted slightly. The variety of captives ranged from senators, Jedi, clones, and small children. "This is not good," I said quietly as Ferus came closer to me. He saw what I meant and I felt his anger surge through the Force. I glanced at him briefly and his eyes met mine for that split second and the anger dissipated almost immediately. I glanced up at the rooftops and clicked my comlink. "Master," I whispered.

"_Anakin, do you see what I'm seeing?_"

"Yes, there's a whole group of innocent people just sitting in the–"

A mixture of horrified screams, strangled screams, and enthusiastic cheers drew my attention from the conversation I was having with Quinlan. My lips curled and I bared my teeth a little when I realized what was happening. "_They're being executed! Get out there! I'll be down to join you momentarily!_"

Ferus and I immediately broke out into a run, side by side. We dashed around the crowd, trying not to draw too much attention to ourselves, even with our lightsabers in hand. "Ferus, get the children out of here," I hissed as we continued on our sprint towards the designated area of execution. A child was up next and I _needed _to get there in time to stop it. I bee-lined through the crowd and Ferus continued on until he was where the majority of the group was and began freeing them with his lightsaber. The crowd went wild and became frantic once they realized Jedi were here.

I vaguely saw Quinlan's lightsaber spring to life to help Ferus free the others. I was only able to see the little girl whose neck was about to be snapped by a noose. She caught sight of me and looked terrified. I ignited my lightsaber as quickly as I could manage and the first thing I did was throw my lightsaber directly towards the bastard who held this child's life in his hands.

**A/N: Yikes! I am so sorry for prolonging this update. I've had a bit of a writer's block (as well as an obsession with **_**Sweetly Shaken**_**), but I will be working on this one again! **_**Legacy **_**may not be updated for a few days alongside this one, but I'll try to post a few more chapters for each of them soon. For the time being, thank you for your patience. I opened a new poll on my page that is related to this fic, and I would love it if you participated in it while it's up. Thank you all so much!**


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